Devotion to a Murderer
by Amy-Elizabeth 1989
Summary: Sequel to Love of a Killer. Two years after Halloween 2003, Jen Blackwell is living a double life trying to keep her relationship with Michael a secret. Meanwhile, a man from Michael's past is hunting them & who may just leave their relationship in ruins.
1. Prologue

Devoted Love

**Devotion to a Murderer**

Notes and Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Halloween characters or Freddy Krueger…but Jen is my character! **This story takes place two years after the events of "Love of a Killer," except for the prologue. I hope this story will be received as well as the first one was.** Now here is the prologue…enjoy it and Love it!!

**Prologue**

**Haddonfield, Illinois**

**October 31, 2003**

He walked stealthily through the burned wreckage of the barn, glancing around at its destruction. He'd been driving a few miles away when he'd gotten the call about the burning barn and how he should go check it out. He'd accepted the challenge of course, after all, there was always a chance that perhaps _he _had been involved in the incident or had something to do with it. 

When he'd driven to the destroyed barn, he'd been pleased to see that all of the cops and firemen had gone away and left it completely abandoned, just enough time for him to look around. There wasn't much left to see, save for some destroyed farm machinery and a bloodied pitchfork. He examined the blood carefully and rubbed a cotton ball against it to produce a sample. He placed the bloodied cotton ball into a plastic bag; anxious to see whether or not it connected to the man he was looking for when he spotted a mutilated corpse lying nearby. His mouth dropped open at the sight of a hideously burned man and his many body parts being strewn about the floor. One of his arms had knives attached to the fingers and beside it, lay his head. The eyes were wide open and the mouth seemed to be barely moving. 

He let out a small gasp and he weakly croaked, "I'll get you…I'll get both of you…"

The man slowly stood up and stood before the mutilated man with a slight look of disgust. Clearing his throat to get the freak's attention, he asked, "What did you mean, you'll get them both?"

The head looked up at him and with a growl it uttered, "What's it to you, fucker?"

"Just curious as to who you meant. I happen to be looking for someone and this seems like his kind of work," the man replied.

The head snarled at him and croaked, "Do you even know who I am, you fucking idiot?"

The man raised an eyebrow and replied coldly, "No, I'm afraid I don't. However, will you kindly inform me so I'll know? I wouldn't want to be in trouble, now would I?"

The eyes on the mutilated creature narrowed at him and growled, "I'm Freddy Krueger, the Springwood Slasher and I can make your dreams a living hell!"

The man crossed his arms and answered, "Well, Mr. Krueger, is it? Now that I am aware of your…identity, would you mind telling me who did this to you? As I stated, I'm looking for someone by the name of Michael Myers and this appears to be like something he would do."

Freddy laughed weakly and said, "Ah yes, that was what that bitch called him…Michael Myers, that fucking masked fucker!"

The man knelt by Freddy's head and asked, "What do you mean, that bitch? Are you saying there was someone with Michael Myers?"

Coughing, Freddy snarled, "Yes, a witch by the name of Jen Blackwell."

"Jen Blackwell? What business do you have with her?" the man asked, interest peaking in his voice.

Freddy's head shuddered a little and he answered, "I'm after Jen Blackwell because of what her family did to me…they made me like _this_…made me look like this monstrous form. I would've had her dead if her masked boyfriend…what's his name? Oh yes, if that masked boyfriend of hers, Michael, hadn't been there!"

"So, is Michael the one who mutilated you?" the man asked calmly.

Freddy's growl deepened and he hissed before answering, "That witch Blackwell did most of the work, but her Michael was the one who decapitated me!"

The man raised his eyebrows in amusement and muttered, "Yes, that's just like Michael. When his knife fails him, he resorts to other methods."

Glancing back at Freddy, he asked, "One more question, Mr. Krueger. Do you know where they're hiding?"

Freddy gave a weak bitter laugh and snarled, "If I knew that, do you think I would be lying here right now, you idiot?!"

The man sighed and said with slight irritation to his voice, "Of course, I should've known better. Damn it!"

Freddy coughed out some blood and narrowing his eyes at the man, he growled, "So why the fuck are you asking me these questions anyway? You're after Blackwell too, aren't you? Well, I'll have you know she's mine. No one is allowed to kill her but me!"

The man gave a slightly sadistic chuckle and replied, "I told you before, Mr. Krueger, I'm after Michael Myers. As far as Jen Blackwell is concerned, well…it's quite interesting. In all the years I've known him, Michael Myers has never had himself a companion before. Yes…this will be very interesting indeed."

Freddy snarled and said, "What do you mean 'interesting?' And are you just gonna stand there staring at me or are you fucking gonna help me?"

The man stood up and said, "Well, Mr. Krueger, quite frankly the sight of you sickens me. I can see why both Michael and Ms. Blackwell would want to…chop you up. Clearly Michael's left a job unfinished, so I'll be more than happy to finish it for him."

Freddy's mouth gaped open as the man stood and took the bloodied pitchfork in his hands. Before Freddy could speak, the man continued, "One more thing. Thank you for the valuable information on Ms. Blackwell. You've just shed some light on my search for Myers. With this new information, I should be able to find him soon, hopefully."

Freddy managed to cry out, "What the fuck are gonna do to me?"

The man gave an evil smile and said, "I'm just going to end your already worthless life. Again, thanks for the information…I'll think of you fondly when I've found Michael Myers."

As Freddy let out a croaked scream, the man sent the sharp knives of the pitchfork onto Freddy's decapitated head. As the man dropped the pitchfork, his grin widened as he watched blood seep down onto the burned straw. He loved the sight of blood; it excited him to no ends. Freddy did not speak again after that and without certainty, anyone could see that he was truly dead now.

Letting out a satisfied grunt, he pulled out his cell phone as he walked out of the barn. He dialed the number and tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the receptionist to answer the phone. It had almost seemed like a year till she finally answered the damn thing. 

"Hello, Smith's Grove Sanitarium office," a bright, cheerful voice answered.

The man took a breath and said, "It's Dr. Jacob Wynn. You know who to patch me into and be quick, I need to talk to her, right away!"

"Yes, Dr. Wynn," the cheerful voice replied.

The late Dr. Terrance Wynn had been Jacob's father. He'd been the administrator of Smith's Grove Sanitarium, but also the head of a secret Druid cult called, The Thorn Cult. Jacob had admired his father from the time he was young and couldn't have imagined a better man to be his father. In fact, he'd decided when he was as old and strong as his father, he'd be just like him. Well, he had thought that until his father had associated himself with Michael Myers. 

"Yes, I'm here. What do you need?" asked a soft voice at the other end of the line. 

Jacob shook his head from his thoughts of that bastard Michael Myers and replied, "I've recently discovered some valuable information about Myers. Apparently he's taken on a companion as of late. I want to look up the name, Jen Blackwell and find out everything you can about her."

"Jen Blackwell…right I've got it. I'll do what I can," the gentle voice replied on the other end.

Jacob smiled and said, "I knew I could count on you," before he hung up. After he placed the phone in his pocket, he rolled down the sleeve of his right arm and grinned at the Thorn tattoo on his wrist. It was exactly the same tattoo Michael had on his wrist.

Walking towards his car that was parked nearby, Jacob muttered, "Myers, your luck is about to change and your companion Jen Blackwell will lead me right to you." 


	2. Two Years Later

Devotion to a Murderer

**Devotion to a Murderer**

Notes and Disclaimer: I do not own Michael Myers or any of the other Halloween characters…but Jen and any other character is mine! Now it's time for Chapter 1…enjoy it and love it!

**Chapter 1: Two Years Later…**

**October 20, 2005**

**Haddonfield, Illinois**

A yawn escaped Jen Blackwell's lips as she opened her tired eyes. The alarm clock was blaring a little loudly and she reached over to turn it off. The clock read 7:30 AM. Beside her, she heard a low grunt and she laughed a little. "What's wrong, Michael? Can't handle the alarm clock?" Jen teased.

Michael gave her an annoyed glare as he stood up by his forearms. After stretching just a little, Jen was starting to get out of bed when she felt an ice-cold hand grab her wrist. Jen looked back and shook her head. Sighing, she said, "Michael, you know I have to go to school. Pre-Algebra and English Composition today, remember?"

Michael's eyes narrowed and he insistently tugged on her wrist. Jen grinned and said, "Well…if you insist." She knelt down to a waiting Michael and kissed him on the lips. He wasn't wearing his mask at the moment, for which Jen was grateful. She teased his lips and he wrapped an arm around her waist. Pulling her lips from Michael's, Jen said, "OK, that's enough for now. I have to go to school Michael and you…well, you have to go do what you do everyday. Then, I have to go to work for a few hours and then at six, I'm all yours."

Michael smiled Jen's favorite half smile and gave her a mock sad look as he released her. Jen groaned and cried, "Don't even start that," as she kissed his cheek. Kissing his lips again, Jen climbed off the bed and walked over to the dresser near the bed. Michael slipped on his white mask, as he lay naked on the bed watching Jen dress into her clothes. She was truly a sight to behold and that made getting up in the morning by that alarm clock worth it. He watched as she got her books together into the backpack she'd purchased a few months ago and when she was ready to go, she reached over and kissed him good-bye with promises to see him tonight. When she'd safely closed the door behind her, Michael got up to retrieve his mechanic's uniform and butcher knife.

After Michael and Jen had come to the agreement that she was to get a job two years ago, Jen had decided to go looking for one the next day. Michael had been extremely overprotective and had even skipped out on his killings to make sure she was doing what she said she'd do. He didn't walk beside her on the street, but Jen had still felt his eyes on her as she'd walked the streets of Haddonfield. She'd searched through the different newspapers with ad's that offered jobs where help was needed; some turned out to be pretty crappy, others seemed promising.

Throughout that day, Jen had searched throughout Haddonfield, going from place to place to find a job. Some had refused to see her, while others allowed her in. However, none of them had decided that Jen was good enough for the job. After all, she only been eighteen at the time and it was her first job. She couldn't provide any names of people who could recommend her, not to mention she'd been extremely nervous and often stumbled throughout the interviews.

She had been about to give up and go to Michael, who'd been waiting in a nearby alleyway when she heard someone call, "Hey!"

Jen turned and was actually pleased to see Danny waving to her. He was the man she'd helped when his pizza shop was being robbed and Jen remembered how kind he and his family had been to her. Grinning, Jen had waved back and went over to talk with him.

He'd welcomed her in for a free slice of pizza and asked Jen about where she had been for the last few days. She'd managed to think up a good lie and say that for the last few days she'd been trying to find work, but had been turned away.

When Danny had mentioned, "You must really like Haddonfield to want a job here, what with you being a wanderer and all."

Jen had almost asked what he meant by that when she'd remembered her lie about being a wanderer the last time she'd seen him. She'd simply nodded her head and said, "Well, it's been tough getting a job here. I really like it in Haddonfield and I plan to be here for a while."

Danny had been quiet for a moment, but then had asked to have a word with Martha for a moment. While husband and wife were discussing amongst each other, Marie, their granddaughter had taken up a conversation with Jen about the different dolls she owned. Jen hadn't really understood much of what the girl was saying, but she politely nodded her head as she talked.

After what seemed like a long conversation, Danny and Martha came to Jen's side. "Jen," Danny had said. "Martha and I were talking and well…I still feel in debt to you for helping me that terrible time."

"Really, it was my pleasure," Jen had said, blushing slightly.

"Well, anyhow. Since I want to repay you somehow, Martha and I would like to hire you here at our pizza shop," Danny went on.

Jen's mouth had dropped open and she'd managed to choke out, "Are you sure? I mean…I'm really honored that you want to hire me. It would help me a lot."

Martha stepped in and added, "Also Jen, we are concerned about your living conditions. Being a wanderer and new to this town, we're quite certain your not staying any place, are you?"

Jen swallowed uncomfortably and tried to say, "Well…I…"

"You're living on the streets, aren't you?" Martha asked calmly.

Jen almost laughed at that statement. If Martha knew she was living in the sewers and with Michael Myers, she probably would've told her to forget the whole thing and please leave. Sighing, Jen lied, "Well…yeah. Sort of."

"Jen, in addition to your working here, we'd like to offer you a place to stay," Danny told her.

Jen's mouth had dropped even further and she'd croaked out, "But…but you barely know me. I mean you've only met me just one other time."

Danny smiled and said, "I know enough. Anyone who can willingly save someone's life is a trustworthy person in my book."

Jen had begun to feel very uncomfortable, yet touched at the same time. If Danny knew of her family's murder, he'd probably pity her so much he'd probably insist on adopting her. Though, if he knew of her relationship with Michael Myers, he'd probably want her gone or who knew what. Yet, Jen had also been thinking about Michael at the same time. How would he react to this news? Would he be so angry that he'd back out on his promise to let her get a job? Or would he be all right with it?

Still, at least she wouldn't be sleeping in the sewers and actually in a warm, cozy bed. She'd also have fresh food, new friends to talk to and perhaps a whole new life. A large part of Jen had wanted to cry out "Yes" right away, but the troubling thoughts had stirred in her mind.

"I…I don't want to impose," Jen had muttered uncomfortably.

She'd turned to find a hand on her shoulder and she'd looked up to find Danny staring at her. "Jen, I absolutely insist. A nice girl like you should have a place to stay and you saving my life is reason enough to take you in. Besides, though you won't admit it, I think you really need some help on getting a new start and we want to help you achieve it."

Jen had very nearly cried right then and there. Strangers whom she'd barely knew wanted to help her after a good deed she'd done for them. By then, Jen had been all out of excuses to say no and had agreed to working there and accepting the spare bedroom. Danny, Martha and Marie had been thrilled with Jen's decision and had decided she'd start working for Danny's Pizzeria first thing tomorrow.

Michael had been dumbstruck when Jen first gave him the good news and had been unable to look at her for a few minutes. She had explained to him how she was going to be living in Danny's home now and that she just couldn't live in the sewers now that she was offered this new life. Michael's feelings had obviously been hurt since he'd stabbed his butcher knife into the metal trashcan and then proceeded to throw it across the alleyway. Jen's eyes had widened fearfully, but she'd calmly told him that she'd expected him to stay in the room with her and how he might enjoy sharing a clean room with her rather than stay in the sewers.

He'd glared at her rather dangerously while holding his knife mid-air and Jen had practically begged him to consider this. She'd then reminded him that she'd had no intentions of leaving him, but just wanted a chance to have a nice place to live and a normal life. She'd almost been about to cry when Michael had lowered his butcher knife and nodded unhappily. Jen had showered him with kisses and a thank you. She'd also promised him he wouldn't regret it as long as he lived.

The first night had been absolutely dreadful for Michael when he'd snuck into her new room later that night. Jen still remembered the look in his black eyes when he'd cautiously lain down on the fresh clean bed beside her. He'd looked like a lost puppy, uncertain and not used to his new surroundings. To be perfectly honestly, except for their two-day holiday at the Holiday Inn, Michael hadn't really slept in a clean bed for a while. It had taken him a few weeks, but by Christmas, Michael had seemed comfortable in the bed he now shared with Jen. Michael had even admitted to himself that making love in the new bed was definitely more comfortable than the one he'd had in the sewers. Of course, every now and then he'd go down there because of nostalgia, but as two years went on, Michael rarely went down there anymore.

A year and a half went gone by and Jen had found herself happily spending her days working in Danny's Pizzeria and spending her nights with Michael. Danny and the others had always seemed a little curious why Jen never joined them for dinner but eventually they'd just assumed that she had made some friends or had wanted to do some shopping. Martha had even commented, "Well Danny, she is a teenage girl. She shouldn't be cooped up here all day."

Jen could always tell Michael looked forward to the evening; it was when he had Jen all to himself. Though this new change had happened with Jen working while he killed worthless Haddonfield residents and with her living in Danny's pizza shop, their evenings went on as if nothing had changed. As far as their bedtime activities, Jen had been a little nervous about making love since she feared of waking Danny and the family up, but eventually she'd opened up. Since then, Jen had become confident and rather daring during their lovemaking sessions and she'd really surprised Michael on occasion, who wasn't usually so easy to surprise.

Overall, Jen was living the perfect life in her description. She had a great job, great friends who cared about her…and a great boyfriend…or lover, whichever he was, at her side. Still, one time during work, Jen had casually mentioned to Danny how one day she hoped to start college at some point and get an education. He'd asked a few questions, but Jen hadn't suspected anything at all at the time. Then, during on her twentieth birthday, February 14th, Danny and his family had surprised Jen with the biggest birthday gift ever. They'd somehow managed to get her applied to Haddonfield Community College and signed her up for the fall 2005. When she asked them how they'd ever managed to get her into that college, Danny had simply replied that he'd spoken to the dean about her and had managed to convince him to take her in. He'd also added that this was a school where if you simply applied there, you were accepted. Jen had actually cried tears of gratitude and had been unable to believe her good fortune.

Michael had seemed a little skeptical about her going to school, but when Jen had explained how important she found it, he'd gone along with it. After all, it wouldn't really wouldn't take away too much time of his with her since Jen had planned to take early morning classes and work at Danny's shop by eleven AM. Of course, that meant she could no longer sleep in and Michael had been forced to awaken to that annoying alarm clock of hers, but somehow or another, they were managing.

She'd taken a visit there and had her own private tour of what the college would be like. It wasn't a college that had any dorm rooms, being a community college, but it still provided excellent courses. Still, she'd had to take the Placement Test in order to determine which English and Math courses she belonged in. She'd also had to choose a major, something Jen hadn't thought much of since she'd never expected to go to college, despite her hopes of getting in. After taking the test, it was determined that though she needed to take a lower math class since her math hadn't been all that great, she was excelling in English. She'd chosen Humanities, Languages and the Arts as her major since she loved the arts and wanted to have a variety of what she would choose to do.

The first day of college had been very frightening to say the least and Michael had even followed her to school to make sure she made it safely. She was taking only four classes and going to school from Monday through Thursday, but Jen had felt like throwing up when she'd first walked through the doors of Haddonfield Community College. Since she'd hadn't been in school for a while, things were slowly returning to her and she'd even gotten lost to her first class. Still, it had all turned out all right in the end. Now, Jen was getting used to her classes, getting homework done on time and had even managed to make a few friends at her college. Friends were an added bonus Jen had not expected and though she really liked the friends she hung out with at college, it was still a little odd for her to be associating with people her own age.

As Jen descended down the stairs on this bright sunny morning, she came into the kitchen to find Danny, Martha and Marie all at the breakfast table.

"Good morning Jen!" Danny called cheerfully as he got some toast out of the oven.

Jen smiled and went to sit down next to little Marie, who was shouting, "Hey Jen! Hey Jen!"

Jen laughed and said, "Hey there, sweetie."

"Are you going to school today, Jen?" Marie asked.

"Yep. Then, I won't have to go for the rest of this week. It's Thursday, remember?" Jen said.

"You're lucky. You only get to go to school four days a week. When I go to college, I'm gonna go four days a week too," Marie said, with a slight pout to her lips.

Jen shook her head a little and laughed. "I'm sure you will Marie," she said, patting her arm.

"So what classes are you going to today, Jen?" asked Martha, setting a glass Tropicana Orange Juice at her side.

"English Composition and Pre-Algebra," Jen answered.

"Sounds like their tough classes," Danny said, sitting down beside Marie, who was munching on some Captain Crunch Cereal.

"Well, English isn't really that bad. It's just the math that really irks me," Jen said, biting in some toast.

"Well, good thing you're taking that course. It's a tough thing when you're in college. More responsibilities, larger homework…it's all a totally new world," Martha said.

"Tell me about it," Jen muttered, softly.

"So, we'll expect you in at eleven?" Danny asked.

"Same time, same place, sir," Jen answered.

"Excellent. Maybe sometime you should bring your new friends from college in for some lunch," Danny said.

"I'll make sure to do that. Well, I have to go. Class starts in a half an hour," Jen said, getting up and taking the remaining half of her toast with her.

Marie got up to give Jen a hug and said, "Bye Jen. I'll see you this afternoon!"

"Have a good day in school, Marie. Remember, don't let that Johnny kid get to you," Jen said, returning the hug.

"I'll try," Marie said, though nervousness peaked in the little six-year old.

"See you guys later," Jen called, as she threw her backpack over her shoulder. She heard the friendly good-bye's as she walked out the back door of the pizza shop. Walking out into the alleyway, she found a familiar shadow hiding behind the alleyway. Michael had peaked his masked head out so she could see him and Jen blew a kiss his way. Throwing one last smile at him, she walked down the street and headed for school.


	3. College and Work

Devotion to a Murderer

**Devotion to a Murderer**

Notes and Disclaimer: I do not own Michael Myers or any of the other known Halloween characters…but Jen and most of the characters in this story are mine. **Thanks for the reviews I've gotten on the last two chapters…I really appreciate it!** Now it's time for Chapter 2…enjoy it and love it!

**Chapter 2: College and Work**

**October 20, 2005**

**Haddonfield, Illinois**

Michael Jackson's "Rock With You" was blaring loudly from someone's I-pod as Jen walked into the courtyard at Haddonfield Community College. The boy with the I-pod was wearing a jean jacket, had blond hair and tapping his foot to the beat of the music. Jen stepped next to him and tapped his shoulder. He turned so suddenly, but when he saw it was Jen, he relaxed. Pulling off his headphones, he said, "Oh, hey there Jen! For a minute there I thought you were Amanda or Danielle."

Jen cocked her head to the side and asked, "Why would you care what Amanda and Danielle thought of you listening to your I-pod, Matt?"

Matt shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, Danielle probably wouldn't care that much; I don't think I've seen that girl say one nasty thing about anyone. But you know how Amanda gets sometimes."

A smile came on Jen's lips as she muttered, "Yeah I know, but hey, we gotta love her, right?"

"Most of the time," Matt replied. Both he and Jen burst into laughter as Amanda walked in.

Since Jen had come to HCC (Haddonfield Community College), she'd made three very close friends. Jen had met Matt Adams in her Speech class on Mondays and Wednesdays. On the first day she'd gotten lost, Matt had politely helped her find her way around. It had turned out it was his class as well and for some reason it had made Jen feel better. He'd told her he was a sophomore at the college and planned to transfer to UCLA next fall. He seemed to be very shy since Jen, Amanda and Danielle were the only people he really interacted with, but if any one ever annoyed him, he wasn't afraid to let them know. Since then, he and Jen sat next to each other in class and had been friends ever since.

Amanda Nelson, whom Jen and Matt had just spoken of, was perhaps the most popular girl at HCC. Her red hair glowed like a large flame and her personality was just as fiery. She often wore rather revealing tank top shirts and low-rise jeans because she claimed to like showing off her "pearly white skin." Amanda was in Jen's Pre-Algebra class, had known Matt from their days at Haddonfield High School and was also a sophomore at college. She was never afraid to speak her mind and often spoke rather brashly, but underneath that flirty persona was caring person.

The final girl who was just walking in was Danielle Lewis. She was in both Jen's English and Western Civilization I class. Like Jen, her hair was dark brown, but she had matching dark brown eyes instead of Jen's hazel ones. Danielle was the quietest of their group, but Jen had had many moments with Danielle where she was bubbly and talkative. She was always writing in a journal she kept, which she wrote poetry and other notes. Jen had met her when she'd accidentally bumped into her in the hallway. Danielle had been very apologetic and had helped Jen get her books. Then, after Jen had told her for what felt like the four thousandth time that she forgave her, the two had sat down and visited before their English class started.

As Amanda was pressuring Matt to tell her what exactly what he'd said before she'd walked through the gate, Danielle came to stand beside Jen. "Hey!" Jen said, throwing Danielle a smile.

Danielle grinned at Jen and muttered, "They're fighting again, as usual. I swear, those two act like an old married couple."

Jen giggled as she pushed a strand of hair from her face and stated, "Only I think Amanda's the husband in this relationship."

Danielle and Jen burst into more giggles and Amanda turned to them. "What the fuck are you two laughing about?" she asked.

Jen shook her head and said, "You two are like an old married couple."

Amanda put her hands on her hips and groaned, "An old married couple with _this guy_? No way, that's sick!"

"Yeah, who'd wanna be in a couple with that?" Matt gestured toward Amanda teasingly.

Amanda turned on him and snapped, "Hey! What'd you just say, Adams?"

Matt smirked and Amanda snapped, "All right, you're asking for it, Buddy!"

Jen looked at her watch and said, "Seems you'll have to save it for later, Amanda. We'll be late for Pre-Algebra."

Amanda took her backpack and threw it over her shoulder. "At the rate Mr. Johnson is going, skipping fucking Algebra would be a relief."

Jen sighed and said, "Come on Amanda." Turning to Matt and Danielle, who had amused expressions on their faces, she said, "See you guys later, OK?"

"See you later, Jen B," called Matt as Danielle said, "See you in English."

Jen and Amanda walked into the building as Amanda began chatting with Jen. "So, what are you doing tonight besides working at that pizza shop?"

Jen shrugged and said, "Oh you know, just doing homework and other stuff."

"Poor Jen, always either working, doing homework or going to school. Girl, you need a life outside this, I mean you're twenty now. You need to party, girlfriend," Amanda cheered, nudging her.

Jen shook her head with a laugh and said, "I don't really do well at parties."

"That's because you've probably never been to one. And another thing, how come I never see you with any boyfriends? I mean, I know for a fact that a couple of boys wanted to ask you out," Amanda turned to Jen.

Jen's stomach turned inside, this was always the toughest part of having new friends. Amanda was notoriously known for going out with various boys and was never seen on Saturday nights without one. As far as she knew, Danielle wasn't interesting in boys, but then she and Danielle had never talked about things like that. In Matt's case, she wasn't sure either. True, Matt talked of wanting to take the three girls out for lunch or something, but other than she, Amanda and Danielle, Jen had never seen him with any other girl. Of course, Jen couldn't tell Amanda the real reason why she was never seen with a boy…or rather with someone her own age. Somehow the line, "I'm not interesting in any boys here because I'm in love with Michael Myers," didn't sound like it would go over too well. Well, it did if Jen wanted to end up in the nut house.

Instead, Jen simply replied, "None these guys here are my type."

"Well, what is your type then?" Amanda asked.

Jen and Amanda stopped outside the door to their Pre-Algebra class and Jen half-lied, "I don't know, I'm still figuring that out for myself."

"Well as soon as you do, let me know and we'll plan a double date," Amanda said, holding the door open for Jen.

Jen smiled on the outside, but inside her throat squeezed painfully. Amanda would have to live with disappointment in this situation. Under no circumstances was she ever going to take Michael on a double date with Amanda and whomever else she happened to be with. In fact, Jen could say for certain that Michael would be as opposed to the idea as she was.

As Pre-Algebra went on, Jen could barely concentrate on the class; this was partly because Algebra was so boring and partly because of what Amanda had said. She'd nearly screamed when Mr. Johnson called her name to answer the question to a problem on the board. With her heart in her throat, Jen stammered, "Um…the answer is 194, sir."

Mr. Johnson checked the answer on the board and muttered, "Oh…I guess you were paying attention after all. I thought I'd caught someone slacking off. At least this proves one of my students is here to learn, Mr. Martin. Yes, I see you peaking at your cell phone!"

The boy Mr. Johnson had called 'Mr. Martin' hastily put his cell phone away, blushing as red as a tomato. Amanda gave Jen an impressed look and a thumb's up after Mr. Johnson resumed his teaching. He didn't call on Jen for a second time, which was a good thing since her thoughts had returned to Michael again. She thought of him awakening to that annoying alarm clock and the funny look that had appeared on his face. She thought of the way he glanced at her before and after they made love. Yes, the lust was there obviously, but also tenderness and a true sense that he really cared about her. Then, Jen thought back to the day they'd both came to the agreement that she'd look for a job. She'd said back then that she couldn't say whether or not she loved him due to it being only eleven days. Now, two years later, Jen was certain of her course. After she'd gotten more time with Michael as well as allowing a little space between them by working and going school, Jen could now say for certain that she was in love with him.

Though their relationship had been rocky during the start, they'd eventually established the loving relationship they had now. She loved being with him and she could tell he felt the same for her. Whenever they were together, Jen could see a spark within his black eyes. She felt comfortable with him and felt as though she could tell him anything, but she also felt safe whenever she was in his arms or he in hers. She knew he'd protect her if anything happened and she trusted him to be loyal to her. When they'd laid in bed one night, Jen had asked him if he'd ever loved anyone before he was with her, but he'd shaken his head no and given her that agitated look he gave her if he found her words to be crazy. Except for his choice in profession and the fact that he couldn't speak, Jen found him to the perfect match for her in every way.

"Hey, Jen! Yo Jen, earth to Jen!" Amanda called, waving her hand in Jen's face. Jen blinked and let out a gasp of surprise.

"Jen, class is over. Come on," Amanda said, throwing her backpack over her shoulder again.

Jen grabbed her backpack and said, "Sorry about that."

"Daydreaming about random things again?" Amanda asked with a small laugh.

Jen returned her smile and teased, "You know it."

As they walked out of the classroom, Amanda groaned, "Oh my God. If Mr. Johnson keeps up with these damn equations, I'm gonna die of boredom. Equations…so disgusting. I mean, who fucking cares about equations? I'm never gonna use them in my everyday life, so what's the point in learning them?"

Jen answered, " I really couldn't tell you. I don't see the fucking point either."

Amanda's eyes widened and she squealed, "Oh my. It seems Ms. Blackwell does have a potty mouth after all."

Jen smirked and said, "Occasionally."

"Well, I gotta go. My Sociology class waits. I'll see you later, OK?" Amanda said, before turning to the left.

"Yeah, I'll see you later!" Jen called.

Continuing to walk alone, Jen walked on to her next class before she glanced at her watch. It was 9:20 AM, only ten minutes till class time, good enough. Still, she waltzed into her English class where Danielle was waiting in her seat. She was sitting at her desk reading a book when Jen entered the room. Upon seeing Jen, Danielle waved cheerfully. Jen skipped over to her side and sat down at the empty seat next to hers.

"Hey there! How was Pre-Algebra?" asked Danielle.

"Same old, same old. How was Speech 101?" asked Jen, rubbing her temples.

Danielle sighed and explained, "I swear to God, I'm gonna die on that five minute Speech. I mean; it is not for me at all. It's too bad we're not in same Speech class, it would make it a whole lot easier."

Jen laughed and said, "You already have me in English and Western Civilization I. Gosh, you really want to hog me all to yourself, huh?"

Danielle laughed with her and said, "I guess you're right."

Jen shook her head and said, "At least we have the same teacher so we can help each other, right? Besides, I have to do a five minute Speech too."

"Yes, but you're able to talk to people with ease and not feel afraid. If I get in front of a classroom by myself, my heart starts pounding so hard and I feel like I'm gonna throw up," Danielle muttered.

"Trust me, I feel exactly the same way you do," Jen said.

A bunch of classmates were heading into the room as their professor, Mr. Warlock entered the room. He was sort of a strange individual with long hair he always braided and he was really into critical thinking and reading essays. Today, the classmates were turning in their Close Reading Essays in which they had to analyze a passage of fictional work. When Mr. Warlock asked the students to find a partner to critique their work, Jen and Danielle immediately turned to one another. They passed each other's papers to the other and began to read. Time passed quickly for Jen, who was reading Danielle's paper on a passage of the novel Brave New World.

After taking the time to read and offer advice to one another, Jen and Danielle began talking about their classes and their plans for the weekend. Like Jen, Danielle also went to school four days a week. After Jen said she was working at Danny's Pizzeria as usual, Danielle asked if Jen would like to go to mall on Saturday afternoon with her.

"I'll have to check, but I'm sure Danny would give me a day off. I work there practically every day and sometimes he asks if I ever need time off," Jen said, half to herself.

"If he offers you a day off every now and then, why don't you take it?" asked Danielle.

Jen smiled and said, "Well, I guess I just like my job. Besides, I need the money, right?"

"I suppose that's a good reason. So, do you want to meet me at the mall or should I come to see you at your house?" Danielle asked.

Jen's throat tightened for the second time today. Despite the fact that she'd made these great trustworthy friends, she hadn't told them about her parents' murder or that she was actually living in the place that she worked. Recovering quickly, Jen stammered, "I'll…I'll meet you there at the mall. Besides, you don't want to come over to my house. It's very messy."

Danielle laughed and said, "Yeah, I know the feeling."

Jen cleared her throat a little to loosen the tightness in her throat as Mr. Warlock announced that class was over for today and that he expected them to read pages 141 to 157 in their textbooks for next week.

Getting up, Jen and Danielle walked out of class side by side and Jen muttered, "Well I have to go to work now, so I guess I'll see you on Saturday, right?"

"Yeah, see you later Jen," Danielle called as she walked in the opposite direction.

Walking past the front gate, Jen walked down the street. She winced as the hot morning sun hit her face. She placed on her sunglasses and speed walked to Danny's Pizzeria. She wondered where Michael was during his rampage and just what he had in store for them tonight. Grinning with excitement, Jen now felt anxious for tonight. Night always held surprises for her when it came to Michael.

In no time at all, she made it back to Danny's Pizzeria where they were just about to open the store and begin business. When she walked in, Martha, who asked Jen how her classes went today, greeted her. Jen explained about turning in her English paper and how she planned to meet Danielle at the mall on Saturday. Martha seemed very pleased and said, "You just go on ahead and do that, Jen. You work so much these days, you deserve a break."

"I always get out at six and have a few hours of fun every night," Jen reminded her.

"I know, but I'm talking about taking a day off from work completely and just spending the day for yourself. You deserve it," Martha said.

Instead of agreeing or answering to that, Jen went behind the counter to retrieve her apron. As she slipped it on, Jen asked, "So, what am I doing today? Making the pizzas, serving them or cleaning after them?"

"We're having you clean after them today, Jen. You'll serve tomorrow," Martha said.

"OK. I'll get right on it," Jen said.

For the next few hours, Jen washed the dishes. It was always a messy process since every now and then Jen splashed some water on herself. She continued this pace until she heard the back door opened and slammed shut. She looked to find Marie walking in with big tears in her eyes. She passed by Jen before throwing her backpack on the ground and running up the stairs to her room. Martha and Danny paused to look up toward the stairs and Martha asked, "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Danny answered. "I'll check on her in a minute, I have to get this pizza out of the oven."

"Danny, she seemed really upset," Martha protested as she looked toward the stairs. Seeing that she'd just finished the last dish in the pile, Jen walked over to both of them.

"Hey, you want me to go check up on her. It wouldn't be a hassle," Jen offered.

Martha and Danny's faces were filled with relief and Danny said, "Thanks Jen. We really appreciate it."

Heading up the stairs, Jen raced upward to Marie's bedroom in haste. She could distinctly hear sobs in the little girl's bedroom as she slowly opened the door. Marie was lying on her bed with her face in the bed sheets and sobbing loudly. Jen walked into the room as she shut the door behind her and slowly approached her. Marie now noticed that Jen had entered the room and looked up at her with a tear streaked face.

Jen smiled kindly and said, "Hi."

Marie sniffed and whimpered, "Hi Jen."

Jen sat down beside Marie on the bed and putting her hand on the girl's shoulder, she asked, "What's wrong, Marie? What happened?"

Marie brushed away some tears on her face and asked, "Remember that Johnny kid who bugs me at school?"

"Oh no, he did it again. Didn't he?" Jen asked, sadly.

"Yeah. He came up behind me at the end of the day and pushed me down the stairs," Marie answered. Holding up her knee, she whimpered, "See my knee?"

Jen took Marie's knee and glanced at the bleeding kneecap. Jen kissed her cheek and said, "Come on, let's go get you a band-aid."

Taking Marie's hand, she led the little girl down the stairs and into the kitchen. Martha was just writing up some orders when she saw the two of them. Walking toward Marie, she asked soothingly, "What happened, sweetheart?"

"That Johnny kid pushed her over again," Jen replied as she wringed a clean washcloth to clean Marie's bleeding knee. As she cleaned the bloody knee and as Marie let out a cry from the pain, Martha turned to Danny and said, "That's it. I'm going to have a talk with this Johnny's mother. This can't go on. He can't keep hurting my granddaughter!"

Marie brushed away another tear as Jen placed a large band-aid over the scrape. While Martha and Danny spoke of wanting to call Johnny's mother, Jen turned to Marie and secretly handed her a chocolate chip cookie.

"Here. Just don't tell anybody I gave you that before dinner," Jen whispered.

Marie grinned at Jen and whispered, "I won't tell."

Running off to a corner to eat her cookie, Jen went back to the washer to wash a new stack of dirty dishes. After Marie had finished her cookie, she went to sit near where Jen was standing and spoke to her about her day at school. Jen told Marie an abbreviated version of her day at school and by the time it was five thirty, Jen was exhausted. Martha came in and said, "You're dismissed for the day, Jen."

Jen sighed and removed her apron as she muttered, "Thanks Martha."

As she hung her apron on the wall, Martha asked, "Going out with friends again?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Jen lied and took a deep breath as she headed for the stairs to get ready. She had about thirty minutes to change into some comfortable clothes and meet Michael in the alleyway. Before she shut herself in her room to get ready, she heard Martha say to Danny, "Sometime we'll have to get those friends of hers over for dinner. If she spends each night having dinner with them, they must be really nice."


	4. Evening With Michael

Devotion to a Murderer

**Devotion to a Murderer**

Notes and Disclaimer: I do not own Michael Myers or any of the other Halloween characters, nor do I own the song "**When I First Saw You" by Jamie Foxx and Beyonce Knowles**…but Jen and all of the other characters that are not in the Halloween movies are mine! Now its time for Chapter 3…enjoy it and love it!

**Chapter 3: Evening with Michael**

**October 20, 2005**

**Haddonfield, Illinois**

Jen was searching through her dresser to find something comfortable to wear. The jeans and T-shirt she'd worn today were sweaty and kind of grimy looking now. After throwing them off, she stood in her bra and underwear pushing aside different clothes to wear. Night usually got chilly in the fall, so Jen would have to wear something a little warmer than the T-shirt she'd had on earlier.

Seeing a black turtleneck sweater, Jen muttered, "That's perfect." After selecting a pair of dark blue jeans to go along with it, Jen threw on her clothes and ran a brush through her long brown hair. Despite how she now had access to go to a salon, Jen didn't have the heart to cut her hair short, at least not yet. Putting down the brush, Jen glanced at her makeup and selected blue eye shadow and plum lip-gloss. After spraying herself with some Lavender perfume, she slipped on both her black boots and black leather jacket.

Perfect, now she was ready to go see Michael. She knew he wouldn't care if she came out wearing nothing but a brown paper bag, but in order to keep appearances that she was seeing friends, Jen took a few minutes to prepare herself on looking good.

She headed downstairs as she saw Danny, Martha and Marie sitting down at the table for their dinner. Marie looked up and said, "Wow Jen, you look pretty."

Jen smiled and Martha said, "Yes, looking nice as usual."

"You know, Jen, sometime you'll have to bring these friends of yours over. I'd love to meet them," said Danny.

Butterflies filled Jen's stomach and she muttered, "I'll talk to them about that."

"Great. Well, have a good time," said Danny.

"Yeah, I'll be back later tonight," said Jen, as she headed out the back door of the kitchen. When she shut the door, she saw the familiar silhouette of Michael. Walking behind the alleyway, she embraced him and lifted the bottom half of his mask to kiss his lips. Michael's black eyes widened in surprise at this and when Jen pulled her lips away, she said, "I know that's a little _Spiderman_ inspired, but you can't really blame me for wanting to kiss you instead of your mask."

Michael's arm snaked around Jen and as he kissed her, she opened her mouth to let his tongue get inside. It stroked the roof of her mouth back and forth and then slipped out as his arms released Jen. She took a deep breath from the kisses she'd received and sighed. Though there wasn't anybody around at the moment, they both still had to be careful. If someone just happened to be walking down the street and saw them, there would be a big fuss and Michael would be forced to kill them.

Before they'd begun their nights on the town, Jen had made Michael promise that he wouldn't kill anyone while he was with her. The only time he was exempt from that rule was if their lives were threatened. In the last two years, there had been no threats against them, so Michael killing someone in front of her was unnecessary. Still, Michael carried his butcher knife with him whenever they went out in case anything happened.

Taking Michael's hand, Jen asked, "So, what are we going to do tonight?"

Michael pulled out a twenty-dollar bill he'd stolen from one of his victims and handed it to Jen. She took the money from him and said, "Oh, we're doing that tonight, huh? Well, can I go by Taco Bell for dinner? I think the people at Burger King are getting little suspicious since I go there at least once a week."

Michael nodded once and they walked further into the alleyway, keeping into the shadows. They never walked onto the street with people around…well, except on the days close to Halloween. Sometimes, Michael would smuggle a car and they'd drive somewhere, but mostly they went on foot. As they walked, Jen told Michael about her day at college and what had happened to Marie. Michael knew all about Jen's friends at college since he occasionally followed her to school and watched her before she went to classes. The friends she called Amanda and Danielle seemed innocent enough, but he did feel a little jealous each time he saw her talking to the boy. Matt had not made any moves on Jen and the look in his eyes was of affection for a good friend instead of a crush, which greatly pleased Michael. Though, if Matt ever asked Jen out or attempt to kiss her, he'd beat the boy into a bloody pulp and leave him for the dogs to eat.

His attention was drawn back to the present when Jen's face fell as she said how sorry she felt for Marie. Beneath his mask, Michael cocked an eyebrow in thought. Since Jen really seemed to care about the little girl…maybe he could do something about the bratty boy she'd named Johnny…just maybe.

When the Taco Bell was in sight, Jen let go of Michael's hand and said, "I'll be right back."

This was usually their routine, Michael would steal money from one of his victims, Jen would use it to buy dinner from a fast food restaurant or whatever food place of her choice and then they would go to Haddonfield Park and sit under their willow tree. Michael knew it wasn't much, but Jen seemed perfectly content to go along with it. Though, every once in a while, such as Valentine's Day or another special occasion, Michael would go much further than their usual routine. Halloween was the only day he could take her out to dinner at a real restaurant without too much worry. True, people did turn their heads at him, but as long as Jen was sitting with him, it didn't matter much. She always came up with the same lie that he was simply a man dressed as Michael Myers.

It almost seemed like forever till Jen walked out of there with food in her hands. Or maybe it just felt that way since he was anxious to begin their time together. Jen took Michael's hand in hers and said, "Sorry about the wait, but line was so damn long."

They began walking into the alleyways again and this time headed for the forest nearby. This was usually Jen's least favorite part of their routine, trudging through the forest that was full of roots to trip on and soggy ground that could get your shoes wet and muddy. She also worried of dropping the bag of food and Jen had had some incidents where she'd accidentally dropped a bag of food. There had always been something saved before it fell into the mud, but Jen could recall how grouchy she'd felt by not having any fries to go with her burger from Burger King. Yet, Jen had learned to deal with it; after all, it was a small price to pay in order to have these evenings with Michael.

When they eventually reached Haddonfield Park, Jen felt very jumpy inside. The park was just as beautiful as it had been the first night he'd brought her here. Stepping from the thick grass, they walked into the park and made their way to the willow tree nearby the lake. Michael led Jen there and then motioned for her to sit against the tree. After she sat facing the lake, Michael joined her side and put his arm around her shoulders. Jen reached in the bag and retrieved her burrito to eat. As she munched on it, she felt Michael's arm tighten slightly and his hand began playing with the ends of her hair.

Jen smiled and said, "My friend Danielle asked me to go to the mall with her on Saturday. I'm going to get the day off from working and spend some time with her."

Michael cocked his head at her and she shook her head saying, "Don't worry, I'll be back in time to hang out with you. Besides, Michael you can't have me all to yourself. I have to be among other people."

Michael's black eyes narrowed slightly and Jen said, "Just kidding…just kidding. Still, I promise I'll be back before six so we can be together."

The black eyes relaxed, but he still pulled her a little closer so that her head was nearly against his shoulder. Jen rubbed her cheek against his mechanic's uniform and muttered, "What am I going to do with you, Michael?"

**When I First Saw You**

**I Said Oh My**

**That's My Dream**

**That's My Dream**

His eyes flashed over to hers and they held a slightly mischievous look. Jen finished up the last of her burrito and glanced out at the lake, which glowed slightly from the touch of the crescent moon. She smiled and said, "Remember the first time we came here?"

Michael's black eyes held some slight humor in them. He remembered all right; they had had a picnic here, but because a can of soda had escaped from their grasp, they had both fallen into the lake and gotten their clothes muddy. However, some good had come out of it since they'd finally bonded emotionally through their kisses. Though Jen had ruined their moment by trying to remove his mask, their relationship was never the same after that night and for the better.

Jen was still staring out into the lake, but whispered, "Yet, there's something else to remember tonight…the night we first met."

Michael gave a half smile beneath his mask as he nuzzled Jen's cheek. Jen shook her head slightly and said, "I can't believe it's been two years now. Two years since that night. I was only eighteen then and didn't even have a place to stay. Looking at what I have now, it's hard to image myself stealing things and sleeping in trash cans."

Looking at him, she said, "I've gotta tell you though, if anyone had told me I would be in love with you two years ago, I wouldn't have believed it."

**Oh I Needed A Dream**

**When It All Seemed To Go Bad**

**Then I Find You**

**And I Have Had The Most Beautiful Dreams**

**Any Man's Ever Had**

The black eyes held no anger or offense at her words. On the contrary, he understood exactly what she meant. If any dumb Haddonfield resident had told him he would involve himself with someone, he'd would've slaughtered them right on the spot. Yet, now that he was involved with someone, a part of Michael's wretched soul had begun to feel somewhat whole again and in some aspects, he felt human and actually liked it.

However, this relationship with Jen wasn't enough to get him to stop his killings and in no way shape or form was he about to give up the life he lived and trade his butcher knife and mechanic's uniform for a three-piece suit and briefcase. He actually shuddered at the idea of that thought and was grateful that Jen wasn't hounding him to do so. She made it no secret that she didn't like what he did, but she seemed to somehow understand that he wouldn't budge from his decision.

Jen placed her hand against his masked cheek and whispered, "I can't believe its been two years…it doesn't seem that long ago, yet I'm so used to it."

Michael simply laid a kiss on her forehead with his masked lips and turned her toward him. Jen kissed his masked lips and laid another quick one before smiling at him. Her arms went around his neck and their lips touched tenderly again. His hands traveled up her back and fingered the collar of her leather jacket. The leather felt smooth against his rough hands, but he much preferred to feel her skin instead. Jen released her arms from Michael's neck and allowed the jacket to fall at their side as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Her hands began to tangle through the fake hair on his mask as Michael laid her back on the grass. Jen sighed beneath his lips and whispered, "Michael…"

**When I First Saw You**

**I Said Oh My,**

**That's My Dream**

**That's My Dream**

At the mention of his name, Michael nuzzled her neck as his hands began to travel down her side and his hand dipped underneath her shirt. Jen shivered under his cold touch as Goosebumps began to spread on her pale skin. Upward his hand traveled as it reached her black bra. Back and forth, he began to caress her covered breast and Jen's sex began to grow warm from excitement.

After she let out a low moan of pleasure, Jen was almost shocked to find Michael had pulled away slightly. She was about to ask why, when reality slapped her in the face as it always did when she and Michael kissed like this in public. Though Haddonfield residents were terrified to walk around the park at night, occasionally there were some teenagers who were brave enough to roam about. A couple of times in the past, they'd been close to being to discovered when a group of teenage boys ran about the park, fooling around as they threw a football to each other. They had whooped and yelled, "I'm not scared, Michael Myers doesn't fucking scare me!"

Jen and Michael had got on their feet at the sound of this and got out of sight just in time. Now, there didn't seem to be anyone around, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. As Michael helped her to her feet and handed her the leather jacket, Jen said, "We'll continue this when we get back, OK?"

The slightly mischievous look appeared in Michael's eyes; he was obviously thinking the same thing she was. Taking his hand in hers, they walked into the forest; yet once the trees hid them, Michael carried Jen into his arms. During the early days of their relationship, Jen had been a little hesitant of being carried in Michael's arms, but now she couldn't resist giggling in delight each time he carried her.

**I Needed A Dream**

**To Make Me Strong**

**You Were The Only Reason I Had To Go On**

Michael carried Jen all the way through the forest, but when they reached the streets of Haddonfield, Michael would set her down on her feet and they'd walk through the alleyways together. A normal girl would be terrified to walk the alleyways in Haddonfield because of thugs and burglars, but Jen was an exception to that. With Michael by her side, Jen could stride through the alleyways as if she were at the mall.

When they saw Danny's Pizzeria in sight, Jen laid a kiss on his wrist as she whispered, "I'll see you upstairs, all right?"

Michael nodded and watched Jen walk through the back door that led to the kitchen. He listened to the warm welcome of the Italian family asking her how her dinner went before he climbed up the ladder that led to her room. Jen always left her window unlocked for him to open and crawl through. He did find it rather annoying that he had to crawl through a window in order to spend his nights with Jen, but what occurred in her room made the whole ordeal worth it.

**You Were My Dream**

**All The Things That I Never Knew**

**You Were My Dream**

**Who Could Believe They Would Ever Come True**

He pushed the window open as he kept his balance on the ladder and then carefully crawled through the window. He nearly tripped as he lifted his other foot to the other side. When he'd safely reached Jen's room inside, he quietly shut the window and waited for Jen to come upstairs. He always listened to make sure no one came up with Jen as he heard someone coming upstairs. He heard Jen feigning a tired voice as she told Danny and Martha good night. The little girl Marie was already in bed since it was nine-thirty, but her grandparents had to clean up some of the ovens before they too went to bed. He hid in Jen's bathroom as he heard the footsteps getting louder and louder and soon the door opened with a soft click. He heard the door being shut and locked again as the light was switched on and then Jen's soft voice called, "OK Michael, you can come out now."

Michael stepped into Jen's view just in time to see her slipping off her jacket. He stepped toward her and made his move to take her in his arms as Jen held her hand out toward him. "Remember Michael, I have to shower first. Besides, you don't want me grimy and dirty when you touch me later, do you?"

Jen knew Michael would've touched her if she was covered in sewage slime or mud, but he seemed to understand what she was saying. He gave her a mock look of disappointment and Jen teased, "Well, you could join me if you wanted."

Michael shook his head no and slipped off his boots as he sat on the edge of the bed. He watched as Jen undressed in front of him, gazing at the beauty of her pale skin. Jen grinned at him and asked, "See anything you like?"

**And Who Would Believe**

**The World Would Believe**

**In My Dreams Too**

_See anything you like?_ Michael's breath stopped short as he heard those words. Lynda had said those words to him on Halloween 1978; just minutes before he'd killed her. She'd been Laurie's friend and had had sex with boyfriend, Bob in the Wallace's house. He'd killed Laurie's other friend, Annie and was all prepared to kill those two as well. _Laurie…Damn his little sister, how he hated her. _

Michael's fists were clenching as his eyes narrowed into slits. Jen noticed this and asked, "Michael, what's wrong? Are you hurt or something?"

He didn't look at her as his black eyes were glued to the ground and his fists were clenched and then unclenched. He glanced over at his butcher knife, which lay on Jen's nightstand.

Jen looked a little nervous, as she stood over Michael, naked. She shyly placed her hand on Michael's shoulder and asked, "Michael…Michael, are you all right? What happened?"

At Jen's touch, Michael glanced at her and seeing her face, his angry eyes softened and he unclenched his hands once more. Jen laid a kiss on his masked forehead and said, "I'll be right back, OK? I promise I won't be too long."

Michael nodded once and watched Jen close the door to take a shower. He stood from the edge of the bed and began to undress. Michael cursed himself inside for the scene he'd made in front of Jen. Everything that reminded him of…well, of things or people he hated, he felt a rage inside him that spread like a wildfire. This didn't happen every day, but once in a while Jen would say or do something that reminded him of those unwelcome memories. He didn't blame her of course, since there was no way Jen could've known about what his victims had said and done, but when he got angry, he got angry fast. He didn't think Jen was even remotely aware of the danger she had just been in as she'd asked him if he was all right. If she'd said one more wrong thing, he might've snapped her neck or fatally injured her somehow.

**Before You Appeared Life Was Only A Game**

**And Day In**

**And Day Out**

**Were The Same**

Since that terrible time in the sewers when Jen had reminded him of Judith and he'd responded by nearly strangling her to death, they had not had another incident like that. Still, sometimes when he dreamt at night, he dreamt of killing Jen on purpose or by accident. Those dreams were so real that sometimes when he awoke at night, he feared he'd actually done it. Words could not ever express how grateful he felt very time he looked over his shoulder and found that Jen was not only still alive, but she was sleeping peacefully.

He was surprised at how quickly Jen had finished her shower since he heard the water turn off, thus ending his troubled thoughts. After he heard some rustling of her drying herself, he heard a blow dryer running. Michael knew Jen liked to blow dry her hair after taking a shower, but it sort of annoyed him since sometimes it took a while for it to dry because her hair was so long. Still, it was all worth it when she stepped out after five minutes of blow-drying her hair. She was now clean from head to toe as her naked pale skin slightly gleamed with her hair shining and soft.

Jen grinned at Michael, who was now completely naked except for his mask and lounging on the bed. She climbed onto the bed and flipped off the switch to the lamp. Darkness surrounded the room, save for the dim lights of the street lamps across the street. Jen wrapped her arms around Michael's neck and said, "OK Michael. Time to take off the mask now."

**Now The Dreams (The Dreams)**

**Coming True (Coming True)**

**Like A Star (Like A Star)**

**See It Shine**

Michael reached his hands up and Jen watched as he removed the mask from his face. She could barely see his face in the darkness, but the black eyes still stuck out at her. Despite how Jen had seen his face many times since Halloween night, Michael still felt a little self-conscious about taking off his mask in front of her. He knew she didn't mind his face, in fact she found him quite handsome, but old habits really do die-hard. Michael had been living with his mask covering his face for many years and this comfort of taking his mask off in front of someone who loved him was still very new in his mind.

He laid his mask on the nightstand beside his butcher knife and claimed Jen's lips in his. She kissed him back as she placed her tongue inside of his mouth. His hands began to tangle through her hair as he kissed her cheeks and then down her neck. Jen giggled just a little as Michael licked her neck. She began to nibble his ear, causing Michael to moan softly.

He shifted position, causing Jen to be lying beneath him. Her arms around his neck hadn't wavered, but now she released his neck to place her hands on his broad chest. Michael's head was knelt slightly as he trailed kisses down her collarbone and he paused to glance down at the pumpkin charm he'd given her. She'd worn it around her neck consistently for the last two years, never taking it off for anything. He kissed the little pumpkin charm and then made his way to kiss her breasts, which were anxious for his attention. Jen moaned as Michael fondled her breasts and he sighed as her hands trailed downward to his lower back.

**A Dream**

**That Is Yours (That Is Yours)**

**That Is Mine (That Is Mine, You Were My Dream)**

Her free hand was now tangled in his hair as he rubbed her breast in a circular motion. He gently kissed the hard nipples as he moved his head downward. He kissed her silky stomach, leaving light feather-like caresses as he went downward. Jen moaned softly again as Michael's kisses traveled down toward the pubic hair and to her sex, which was burning from all the sexual activity she was enduring. She thrashed her head to the side and whispered, "Do it, Michael. Please…just do it!"

As his mouth traveled down even further, he finally did as Jen asked and placed his tongue inside her burning sex. Jen cried out softly in pleasure, careful not to wake up Danny and his family.

She'd learned in the last two years not to yell loudly as she and Michael made love. During the first months of her stay here, she'd accidentally moaned too loudly and had awoken Danny and Martha. When they'd heard Jen, they'd knocked on her door and asked what had happened. Michael and Jen had been in the middle of intercourse at the moment and she'd forced Michael to get off of her and hide in the bathroom until the coast was clear.

After that night, Jen had managed to keep her moans low and quiet so she wouldn't awaken anyone again. Now, as Michael gently placed his tongue in and out of her aroused sex, Jen cried out quietly as she tangled her hands in his hair. Michael pulled his tongue out of Jen again and this time moved up so he was at eye level with Jen. Looking up at him, Jen watched as he positioned himself above her and noticed his hard erection as he gazed down at her with desire.

**Now I've Got Dreams Of My Own**

**(All The Things I Could Never Be)**

**Dreams You Never Know**

**You Wont Take My Dream From Me**

He thrust himself inside of her and Jen's soft moans began again. She was thrusting with him as their lips were caught in a passionate kiss. Jen groaned as his hand in her hair tightened and he increased the pace of their thrusting. For some reason, Michael liked it fast paced when they made love, but he always started out gently in the beginning because Jen liked it that way. She'd gotten used to Michael's fast pace during the two years they'd been together, but she did not allow Michael to go so fast that she fell unconscious.

It seemed like a long time till eventually Michael and Jen found their release and they both lay panting beside each other in exhaustion. Jen pushed some of her sweaty hair out of her face and reached over to set the alarm clock to ten AM. On days she didn't have school, Jen chose to sleep in till an hour before Danny's pizza shop opened. When the clock was set the way she wanted it, Michael drew her into his arms and she snuggled against him.

Her eyes were drooping slightly as she felt exhaustion overcome her. Wrapping her arms around Michael in an intimate embrace and listening to his steady heartbeat and heavy breathing, she whispered, "I love you."

Michael responded to this statement by gently stroking her hair and laying a kiss on her the top of her head. Though he couldn't talk, Jen could tell he was trying to tell her he loved her too.

**When I First Saw You**

**I Said Oh My,**

**I Said Oh My,**

**That's My Dream**


	5. Strange Sighting

Devotion to a Murderer

**Devotion to a Murderer**

Notes and Disclaimer: I do not own Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger or any other the other Halloween characters…but Jen and other characters not a part of the Halloween series are mine. Now it is time for Chapter 4…enjoy it and love it!

**Chapter 4: Strange Sighting**

**October 22, 2005**

**Haddonfield, Illinois**

Friday passed quickly for Jen, who spent that day working in Danny's Pizzeria and spending her evening with Michael. They'd gone back to their willow tree in Haddonfield Park where Jen had eaten McDonald's for her dinner. They'd decided to walk around the park, hidden from the view of any one who'd come by, but went back to Jen's room shortly after that. They'd made love and Jen had managed to persuade Michael to bathe with her. After a hot bath, they'd fallen asleep in each other's arms.

Now, as the early Saturday morning sunrise hit the bedroom, Michael glanced down at the sleeping Jen in his arms. She looked really tired as she slept; the bags under her eyes were growing darker each day. Her job made her somewhat tired whenever he took Jen out for dinner, but she didn't really seem to mind since she enjoyed her time with him.

Michael hadn't slept well last night; bad dreams had tormented him as they always did…dreams of murdering and torturing others. Somehow, the dreams had shifted on something he hadn't thought of in a long time. There had been a cloaked figure standing over him, a strong tenor voice taunting him. The figure had taunted him about his relationship with Jen and how he was failing his responsibilities to Thorn. Michael had tried to slash him with his butcher knife, but somehow the figure always managed to avoid him. When Michael had grabbed him by the throat to try and see whom the ignorant man was, the figure held out his right wrist. Michael's black eyes had widened in shock at the sight; the figure had had a tattoo of Thorn on his wrist. It was the same tattoo as the one on his wrist.

"_I always was more worthy of the curse than you, Michael,"_ the voice had jeered at him.

Michael had awoken in a sweat and panted heavily. He'd glanced down to find Jen asleep in his arms, obviously not awake due to his bad dreams. He'd sighed with relief and decided to calm his raging emotions down by watching Jen sleep.

It had been a couple hours now since his bad dream, but it was still very fresh in his mind. He hadn't thought of the Curse of Thorn in a long time, hadn't really thought much of it since he'd begun looking for his sister Laurie in 1998. Then Jen had come along and kept his mind occupied with thoughts of her and their relationship. True, when he found her tracing his Thorn tattoo with her finger sometimes, he'd briefly remember its significance, but other than that, he hadn't thought of Thorn at all. Why now though, why was the Curse of Thorn coming back to haunt him?

The cloaked figure in his dream had also sounded somewhat familiar. It had been a strong tenor voice, with an edge of cruelty within. He wasn't afraid of that voice, but he did distinctly remember he had heard it before. As for the tattoo, it shouldn't have surprised him as it had. Within the cult, everyone possessed a tattoo of Thorn; but not many bore the same symbol as him.

Michael turned his right hand so his palm was facing him and glanced at the Thorn tattoo on his wrist. The black symbol stuck out at him in a threatening way and he felt a slight shortening of breath as he glared at the symbol.

He was snapped out of his trace when he felt Jen stir slightly, but only to snuggle close to him. Turning to Jen, he gently shook her awake. He needed something to distract him; he needed Jen to take his thoughts off of that troubling dream. Jen stirred again and opened her sleepy eyes to look into his. She smiled up at him and whispered, "Good morning, my love."

She turned to glance at the clock and shook her head with a small laugh, "Michael, it's seven thirty AM. Why don't you let me get some more sleep, silly? You look like you could use some more sleep yourself."

Michael stabbed himself mentally at not having looked at Jen's annoying alarm clock. He knew she liked to sleep in on days she didn't have to work or go to school. He was about to give her a somewhat apologetic look when Jen wrapped her arms around his neck and asked, "What is it, Michael? Did you have a bad dream or something?"

Instead of lying to her, Michael nodded once. Jen kissed a sensitive spot on Michael's neck and whispered, "Why don't I help you get back to sleep? It's a little too early to get up just now."

Michael shook his head, but snuggled deep in the covers with Jen tightly secured in his arms. He laid his head on top of hers and began to stroke her hair. There was no way he could possibly sleep after that dream, but he wasn't going to spoil any sleep for her. Jen leaned into his touch, but asked, "Are you sure there's nothing I can do to get you back to sleep?"

Michael nodded and leaned his mouth against her ear, lightly kissing her earlobe. His breathing was like a lullaby being sung to her and in no time at all, Jen had fallen back asleep in his arms. Michael lay beside her for a while, watching her asleep like an angel from heaven…_his angel._ Yet, the memory of those dreams would not leave him alone and he knew he needed a stronger distraction. A part of Michael wanted to stay in bed with her and fool himself into thinking she could make his bad dreams go away, but a different need was calling him. It was his need to feel hot blood on his hands, that was one calling Michael couldn't ignore or deny himself at this moment.

Jen would awaken in a couple hours and head to the mall with her friend, Danielle so he knew she'd be occupied today. Laying a kiss on Jen's forehead and then her lips, Michael quietly crawled out of bed. His naked body felt cold as he left the warm blankets, but he slipped on his mechanic's uniform as well as his mask. He glanced at a sleeping Jen through the eyeholes of his mask, and then reached down to claim his butcher knife from the nightstand. He cast one more look at Jen before he opened her window and climbed down the ladder.

As Michael had predicted, Jen had awakened a couple hours later and noticed that he wasn't in bed with her. She looked around and called softly, "Michael?"

When she noticed that the nightstand was empty of his mask and butcher knife, Jen pretty much knew where Michael was. She shivered slightly at the thought of him slaughtering others. She knew it was his profession and knew that he had been doing this long before she was even born, but it still slightly sickened her at the thought of him doing so.

Stretching to relieve her aching muscles, Jen yawned and glanced at the clock. It was close to a couple hours till her afternoon at the mall with Danielle. She might as well get up and get ready. She took a long shower to relax and chose an outfit to wear. She'd decided on wearing a long sleeved teal shirt and black jeans for the day and brushed her hair back into a long ponytail.

After slipping on her boots, she headed downstairs and met up with Marie, who was still in her _Powerpuff_ _Girl_ pajamas. "Jen!" Marie cried happily as she went to hug her.

Jen grinned as the six year old hugged her and she replied, "Hey Marie."

"You're going out today?" Marie asked.

"Yep," Jen answered.

"Where?"

"I'm going to meet my friend from college at the mall. Her name is Danielle," Jen said as the two descended the stairs.

"Is she really nice?" Marie asked.

Jen laughed and said, "Of course she is. I wouldn't be friends with her if she wasn't."

"Good morning ladies. So Jen, what is going on today?" Danny was standing in the kitchen fixing up some French toast as he greeted Jen and Marie.

"YEAH! French Toast!" Marie shouted happily.

"Well, I'm going to the mall with my friend Danielle. She's in both my English and World Civilization I class." Jen was answering Danny's question after Marie had sat down excitedly.

Danny nodded and said, "That's nice that you can go out and do this. She sounds like a nice girl from what you've told us. I'd like to meet her."

"I'm sure that can be a possibility at some point," Jen answered.

Danny handed Jen a plate of French toast and then to Marie. As the two sat eating their French toast, they heard Martha's footsteps coming down the stairs. Martha was holding a newspaper and had a worried look on her face. "Oh dear. You should see the headline of today's paper. It seems the Smithson family was murdered last night in their home. They were a family of five."

Jen's stomach churned inside and she asked, "So, did they find out who did it?"

"No, apparently the assailant was gone before the police could even get there," Martha answered.

"May I see that paper, please?" Jen asked.

"Of course," Martha said, but seemed a little confused as to why Jen would want to see the article about murder victims.

Jen flipped to the article and nearly threw up her French toast when she read how the family had been slaughtered. Apparently the father had been hanged by a thick piece of rope and his eyes had been gorged out. The mother and daughter had been sexually assaulted before their deaths and their breasts had been mutilated from their bodies. As for the two youngest, which were twin boys, they'd simply been suffocated in their cribs by having a plastic bag tied tightly around their necks.

Jen's immediate reaction was to think of Michael being responsible for this, but somehow as she gazed at these descriptions of the gruesome way these people had been slaughtered, it just didn't seem like he would do this. The newspaper article went on to say that the family had apparently been slaughtered around nine o'clock last night. It couldn't have been Michael then, Michael had been with her the entire night. She'd happened to look at her watch around that time and had read eight fifty-six PM when they were at the park. There was no way it had been Michael, just simply no way...or had it and the police had calculated wrong on what time the family had been killed?

Danny glanced at the article Jen was staring at and shook his head. "Why does Michael Myers enjoy doing such a thing? How can a grown man get such enjoyment out of something so hideous? If I ever see that Michael Myers, I'll give him a piece of my mind."

Jen's stomach hurt even more and she was really beginning to feel as though she'd throw up. Weakly, Jen managed to fake a smile and said, "I'd better go. I'm supposed to meet Danielle in a half in an hour."

Danny's angry expression at the paper softened when he glanced at Jen. "You just go and have a good time, sweetheart. I suppose you're going to have dinner with your friend Danielle too?"

"Yes…yes," Jen said as she managed to walk out the door and into the cool autumn breeze. However, once she was safely out the door, Jen ran to the side of the alleyway and vomited. She could envision the sight of what that family looked like and it made her sick; it reminded her of her own family's murder. That poor family…and those children had all been younger than ten years old.

She placed her hand on the brick wall to support herself as she vomited again. As she panted from throwing up, she felt a hand on her back. Jen screamed, but saw that it was only Michael. Jen took deep breaths and muttered, "Damn it, Michael. Don't sneak up on me!"

Michael's black eyes held some concern as he rubbed Jen's back while she heaved and groaned with displeasure. Jen spit out some loose vomit in her mouth and glanced up at him. Anger filled her eyes as she croaked, "Michael, I want an answer right now and you'd better answer me!"

He cocked his masked head to the side and Jen snapped, "Did you or did you not kill the Smithson family last night?"

A confused look crossed over Michael's black eyes and he cocked his head again. Jen glared up at Michael and clarified, "There is a family who was murdered last night at their home. They were found mutilated, suffocated and two were sexually assaulted. They were a family of five, lived in the suburban part of Haddonfield and were killed last night. So, answer me. Did you or did you not kill them?"

The confusion left Michael's eyes and anger filled them instead. He returned a glare of his own at Jen and shook his head no. Jen gazed into his black eyes and asked, "You're telling me the truth?"

Michael nodded without hesitation. Inside, he felt angered that Jen would actually think of him for a murder he did not commit. True, he hated the residents of Haddonfield to no end, but the grisly murder Jen had described had not been his doing. Jen kept staring into his eyes to search for a hint of dishonesty. "You're not lying to me? You're really telling the truth?" Jen asked.

Frustration filled Michael's black eyes as he nodded once again. He clenched the butcher knife in his hand and glared threateningly at Jen. It was bad move since she swallowed nervously. Noticing, Michael managed to soften his look just a bit and nodded to try saying to her that he was telling her the truth. Jen relaxed when Michael's gaze softened and after staring into his black eyes, Jen finally said, "All right Michael. I believe you. Besides, it said the family was killed around nine o'clock and I know you were with me at the time. I'm sorry if I hurt you, Michael. I didn't really think it was you, but I just had been sure."

Michael nodded in agreement. When it all came down to it, he guessed he couldn't blame her for asking if it had been him. It had hurt his feelings, but he understood her reasons for asking.

Jen caught her breath and swiped some sweat off her forehead. She let out a sigh as she gave Michael a hug by wrapping her arms around his waist. He wrapped an arm about her and Jen kissed his masked cheek. "I'm sorry…I was just scared, that's all. I mean, the way that family died, it's just so horrible. It's just so gruesome; I can't believe someone would do that. Those kids were around Marie's age…younger even and if you'd read the article…" Jen whispered brokenly.

Michael nuzzled her cheek comfortingly and pointed at her watch. Jen glanced down and noticed the time. "Oh shit! If I don't leave now, I'm gonna miss my bus."

She kissed Michael on his masked lips and said, "Thanks, sweetheart. I'll see you tonight!"

She hurried out of the alleyway and ran to the bus stop nearby the Pizza shop. After flagging down the bus and handing the driver some money, Jen realized how thirsty she was. Her throat was burning from the vomit and riding in a bus that went over bumpy roads was making her feel a little sick again. Oh well, where she was meeting Danielle wasn't far from the food court. She'd just grab a water bottle from the vending machine and be all right. Till she got the mall, Jen closed her eyes to avoid more nausea. Each time they hit a bump in the road, Jen's stomach tightened with pain. It almost seemed to take forever when they finally reached Haddonfield Mall.

Sighing with relief, she saw Danielle sitting on bench waiting for her. Jen nearly leaped off the bus when it came to an abrupt stop in from of the mall. Jen stumbled out of there and smiled when she saw her friend walking toward her. Danielle looked concerned and asked, "Are you OK?"

Jen nodded and answered, "Fine, just felt a little carsick. You know how bumpy buses are."

Danielle nodded in agreement, but asked, "Are you sure you're OK?"

Jen took a breath and said, "Just let me get a water bottle first and I'll be just peachy."

Danielle and Jen walked into the mall and Danielle stood patiently while Jen slipped a dollar into the machine and got a water bottle. Jen took a long swig of her water and her troubled stomach seemed to settle down a bit.

Turning back to Danielle, she asked, "So, where do you want to go first?"

"That's up to you for putting up with that horrid bus," Danielle said, with a smile.

"So, it's up to me, huh? Well, have you ever heard of this jewelry stand called 'Silver Moon?' It's really nice and they've got some great stuff. I find something I like every time I go there," Jen said.

"Oh, that's sound great. I love jewelry so that's fine with me," Danielle said.

Jen smiled back and said, "It's in the center of the mall, so I'll show you where it is."

As they walked to Silver Moon, Jen and Danielle discussed different types of jewelry and what they loved best. While Jen was more of an earring person, Danielle said how much she loved rings. They both agreed that the sets with a matching necklace and earrings were great and that rings with big, fake stones were corny. When they got to the store, Jen and Danielle browsed at the little display cases and racks of jewelry. The prices ranged from 9.99 to a surprising 39.99. They each tried on a different earring or ring and rated each one to see which was the best.

Eventually, they both decided their purchases. Danielle had decided a silver ring with a ruby stone inside, another ring but with a topaz stone instead and a pair of butterfly earrings. Jen had chosen a sapphire thumb ring, a pair of black cat earrings and another pair of earrings but with different colored blue stones in them. As they admired their jewelry, Jen dropped a quarter on the ground. She reached down to pick it up and happened to notice someone was watching them. Jen glanced to find a cloaked figure standing by the Game Stop store. How odd that there was someone wearing that outfit in the mall. Maybe it was Michael trying to surprise her or to check up on her.

Jen retrieved her quarter from the ground, but when she looked up, the figure was gone. Jen cocked her head slightly from the empty place where the figure had stood and shrugged her shoulders. Maybe she had just imagined it or maybe it had been Michael after all. Standing up, Danielle asked, "Are you OK? You looked like you were staring at something."

"I guess I thought I saw something. Probably just my imagination," Jen muttered.

Next, the two girls strode over to Suncoast Video Store to check out some videos and DVDs. As they browsed in the store, they talked about English class and how Mr. Warlock assigned them too much homework. They also spoke of Western Civilization I. Jen was telling Danielle how there were several occasions when she nearly fell asleep during that class when Danielle stopped and stared at the newspaper stand.

Jen looked over and grimaced at the paper about the Smithson family murder. There were apparently more theories as well as details as to how the family died. Residents in their neighborhood were coming to conclusion that Michael Myers was responsible for their murder or if not him, maybe Mr. Smithson killed his family then committed suicide. Jen swallowed uncomfortably as Danielle whispered, "It's horrible, isn't it?"

"Yes," Jen answered softly.

"I can't believe Michael Myers would do something like this. How can that monster get such pleasure from things like this?" Danielle asked.

Jen jumped a little at the mention of Michael's name and very calmly asked, "How do you know it was Michael Myers?"

Danielle turned to Jen and asked, "Well, who else could it be? It's not like Haddonfield has any other serial killers around. I mean, can you think of anyone else who would do this, Jen?"

Jen gritted her teeth nervously and thought back to Michael. He'd told her in his own way that he hadn't done it and she believed him. Yet, Danielle did have a point when she asked who else could've done it. Jen was certain it must have been someone else, but she honestly couldn't think of another person at the moment. Sighing, she finally answered Danielle's question and said, "No. I can't think of anyone else."

Jen and Danielle had begun walking outside the store when something caught Jen's eye. She turned her head to the left where the Disney Store was and found the cloaked figure standing by the entrance. Jen's eyes widened in surprise and she wondered if it was Michael. Yet, when she noticed the figure's stature, it seemed a little short for Michael. There didn't appear to be a butcher knife in the figure's possession and the hood seemed to hide the figure's face. No, that couldn't be Michael; he would never risk going out in public without his mask.

"Hey Jen, is something wrong?" Danielle asked, tapping her shoulder.

Jen turned to Danielle and said, "Look over there."

"Where?" Danielle asked, confusion filling her face.

"By the Disney store. There's a cloaked figure there," Jen answered in a low whisper.

Danielle and Jen turned and when their eyes met the Disney Store's entrance, the cloaked figure was gone. Danielle turned to Jen and asked, "What are you talking about Jen? There's no one there."

Jen was dumbstruck as she muttered, "There was someone standing right there. I know I saw something there."

Danielle shook her head and commented, "It's a little too early to pull Halloween pranks, Jen."

Jen swallowed and said, "It wasn't a joke, I really did see someone there."

"Really? What did he look like?" Danielle asked as she and Jen made their way to Bath and Body Works.

"He seemed really dark. What I mean is, he wore a black cloak over him and he kept his head down, like he didn't want anyone to see what he was staring at," Jen answered, pondering this.

Danielle shook her head and said, "Don't be silly. Besides, who comes to the mall wearing a cloak over them? I mean, don't you think he would've been pulled aside by security by now. I'm sure he was just an employee trying to scare people."

Jen sighed and said, "You're probably right. Sorry."

"No problem. Here Jen, what do you think of this scent?" Danielle held up a bottle of Warm Vanilla Sugar body spray.

Jen took the bottle and sniffed. "Hmmm, smells nice I guess. Not the best I've ever smelled, but I wouldn't wear it to go out places."

"Agreed," Danielle said, putting the body spray back.

Jen picked up a bottle of Moonlight Path and said, "Oooh, this is a lovely smell. One of my favorites."

Danielle smelled it and said, "Pretty, but not for me. You'd smell good in it though."

"So, what is your favorite scent?" asked Jen, keeping the bottle of Moonlight Path in her hand.

Danielle smiled at Jen and held up a body spray with the scent of Raspberries. Jen laughed and said, "I guess you like the fruit smells, huh?

Danielle said, "You bet. You know, I once heard this girl in my Honors Algebra class say that fruit smells are the favorite scents a guy likes on a girl."

Jen's eyebrows raised and she joked, "Well, that's nice I guess. Just make sure that the guys don't get hungry when they smell your perfume. You don't want a bunch of hungry boys trying to eat you."

The two girls laughed out loud and Danielle said, "That's a good one, Jen. I'll keep that in mind."

Jen and Danielle each purchased a bottle of body splash and some shower gel of their favorite scents. When they'd walked out of Bath and Body Works, Danielle said, "I'm getting hungry, what about you?"

"Probably not as hungry as you, but let's go down to the food court and get something," Jen said.

They took the escalator to the food court and selected a table to sit at. Danielle got herself a chicken sandwich with Utz Chips while Jen simply got an egg roll from a Chinese food stand.

Danielle noticed Jen's lack of food and commented, "That's not much to eat."

"I had a big breakfast before I left," Jen lied. She didn't feel like going into details about what had happened before she left to catch her bus. Danielle bought her lie and said, "So, which novel are you choosing for your final essay in English?"

Jen's eyes widened; she'd forgotten about that essay, which would be due a week before the semester ended. Apparently that essay was to be worth two hundred points. "Honestly, I haven't really thought about what I'd like to pick. I've been so busy with working and everything. What about you?" Jen asked.

"I think I'm going to pick the book about the legend of Freddy Krueger," Danielle said, before taking a bite of her chicken sandwich,

Jen nearly spit out her egg roll and whispered, "Excuse me?"

"I said, I'm choosing Melinda Howard's book, The Legend of Freddy Krueger. I honestly find legends quite fascinating and since I've never heard this one before, I think it'll be an interesting read," Danielle answered.

Jen felt like throwing up all over again as memories of Freddy flooded through her. If she had told Danielle that Freddy was real and all he had done to her, she highly doubted Danielle would want to read that book.

"Well anyhow, maybe I could help you find a book for your paper," Danielle offered.

Jen smiled, but answered, "It's OK, but thanks for offering. I'm sure a book will turn up soon enough."

Jen was now finished with her egg roll and Danielle was finishing up with her chips. As Jen got up, she held up her hand for Danielle's trash and received a smile. "Thanks," said Danielle as Jen took the trash and went over to throw it away. After she had placed the trash where it belonged, Jen looked up to find the cloaked figure standing by the Cola vending machine. Jen stared at the figure, which peaked at her from beneath the large hood of its cloak and had its arms crossed over its chest. Fear peaked inside of Jen; that was the third time today she'd seen this guy. What was the deal?

Once again, Danielle snapped Jen out of her trance when she called her name. Jen turned and after she glanced at her watch, she said, "Well, I'd better go. My bus will probably be here soon."

"OK, I'll walk you to your stop," said Danielle, picking up her bags. As Jen gathered her own bags, she looked toward the Cola vending machine and saw that the figure had vanished again. Jen ran a hand through her hair nervously and followed Danielle outside. Jen's bus came into view as they hugged. "Well, I appreciate you coming to shop with me," said Danielle.

"Anytime. I really enjoyed it," Jen said.

"We should do this again sometime," Danielle said, letting Jen go.

"Yeah. I'll see you Monday, OK?" said Jen as she climbed onto the bus.

"See you," Danielle called.

Jen sat onto the seat, placing her bags beside her. She waved good-bye to Danielle from her window, but as the bus pulled away, she found the cloaked figure standing against the brick wall, smoking a cigarette.


	6. Secrets

Devotion to a Murderer

**Devotion to a Murderer**

Notes and Disclaimer: I do not own Michael Myers and any of the Halloween characters…but Jen is my character as well as others unrelated to the Halloween movies. Now it's time for Chapter 5…enjoy it and love it!

**Chapter 5: Secrets**

**October 22, 2005**

**Haddonfield, Illinois**

Fear spread through Jen as if she'd just been shot with a bullet. Her eyes were glued to the cloaked figure as the bus pulled away from the mall. She knew she wasn't crazy; that cloaked figure was real and something about it didn't seem right. Puffing out smoke from its cigarette, the figure didn't lift its head as the loud sound of the bus departing filled the air. However, Jen could see a faint smirk on the figure's face…an evil smile. Looking at her through its hidden eyes, the figure lifted its hand and waved good-bye to her.

Jen glanced to see if Danielle had noticed the figure, but she appeared to be gone. Maybe she had already gone back inside, hopefully. She turned to watch the figure until the bus turned left and the mall disappeared from her view. Tearing her eyes away from the window, Jen faced the front of the bus and attempted to calm down her raging emotions.

She had to calm down; maybe this figure didn't mean any harm. Perhaps the mysterious figure was just some teenager trying to scare the local customers and had decided to target her. Besides, it wasn't like she would ever see that cloaked figure again.

Still, there had been something about that cloaked figure Jen couldn't get out of her mind. Though she hadn't seen its face, there was something sinister about the figure…something not right. Jen hadn't seen a smirk like that in a long time and it made her feel sick to her stomach. Her thoughts went back to Danielle, wondering if she was all right. The figure had no doubt seen her hanging out with Danielle and Jen feared that maybe the figure would try to hurt her. With shaky fingers, Jen began to dial Danielle's number on the cell phone she had finally managed to purchase a few months ago. Jen listened with impatience to the ringing of Danielle's phone and was growing worried by the fifth ring.

She was about to hang up in despair when she heard a gentle voice go, "Hello?"

Jen sighed with relief and asked, "Hey Danielle, it's me."

"Oh, hi Jen. What's up?" asked Danielle, seeming surprised to hear from her.

Jen placed a hand on her cheek and said, "I was just wanting to see if you were OK and where you were."

"Well, I'm in my car, Jen. Why, what's wrong?" asked Danielle, sounding worried.

Jen shook her head and said, "Oh, just curious. It's nothing really, just forget about it."

"OK. Well, thanks for calling," said Danielle, perfectly content to let it drop.

"No problem. See you on Monday," said Jen.

After she hung up the phone, she placed it inside her purse and groaned inwardly. Jen rubbed her temples and whispered to herself, "Just calm down. You're OK, this worrying is ridiculous."

She glanced out at the window again, watching as the city part of Haddonfield was coming into view. There were fewer and fewer people about now and the sun was setting over the little town. Jen was to meet Michael in the alleyway by the Pizza shop. She couldn't risk dropping her shopping bags in her room since she had to keep up appearances that she was out at dinner with Danielle. That was only problem about her going shopping with her friend; she'd have to lug around some bags while she was out with Michael.

When the bus reached her stop, Jen climbed off the bus, but tripped into someone in front of her. The man turned to Jen and snapped, "Watch where you're going, Bitch!"

Jen gave him the middle finger and muttered, "Asshole," as she walked toward the alleyway by the pizza shop. She hid behind the dumpster just in case Danny or Martha came out for something. As if on cue, Michael appeared at her side. Jen smiled at him and asked, "So, how was your day today? Eventful, I assume?"

The black eyes held some humor in Jen's comment and Jen laughed at the look in his eyes. Reaching into the jewelry bag, she got out the earrings with the different colored blue stones and placed through her earlobes. Touching the earring, she asked, "Do you like them, Michael?"

Michael cocked his head to the side to examine them and nodded once. Jen placed her small plastic bag with her jewelry inside her larger bag with Bath and Body Works products so she would have a free hand to hold Michael's. She kissed the rough skin on Michael's hand and gave it a loving squeeze. Walking down the alleyway together, Jen told Michael of her shopping trip with Danielle and how much fun she had. She didn't tell Michael of the mysterious cloaked figure she'd seen at the mall. By now, Jen assumed she'd never see the figure again and telling Michael would make him even more overly protective of her. That was absolutely the last thing she needed at the moment. They walked side by side in silence until Michael stopped suddenly.

Jen glanced up at him and asked, "What is it?"

Michael inclined his head up toward the row of expensive apartment buildings. Jen's gaze followed his and she asked, "Are you positive the couple is gone for the evening?"

Michael gave her an annoyed glance; he would've told her that of course he knew they were gone, but then what good were words anyway? Michael didn't see the point in speaking; he hadn't for many years. It wasn't that he couldn't speak, he simply chose not to. Somehow, Jen was convinced that he couldn't speak and since he felt words were pointless, he'd been fine to let her go on believing that. True, he knew that Jen would've appreciated an "I love you," from him and sometimes she told him how she wished she could have a conversation with him, but he hadn't said a word for years and he didn't feel like making up for all the lost time.

Glancing back at a skeptical Jen, he nodded once and led her toward the ladder leading near the balcony to one of the expensive apartments. Jen turned to him and said, "Make sure you stay behind me at all times."

Jen put a foot up on the ladder and began to climb. The ladder was very steep and Jen fought the urge to look down. She knew Michael was closely following her, prepared to catch her if she fell, but Jen had always had a slight fear of heights. When she reached the top of the ladder, she raised a leg over the ledge and lifted her body onto the balcony. She stood on her two feet and watched as Michael climbed over and stalked to the glass balcony doors. He retrieved a paperclip from the pocket of his mechanics uniform and placed it through the keyhole. He twisted the small piece of metal back and forth until he heard a soft click.

Michael opened the French glass doors and Jen stepped inside. They had entered into the couples' large bedroom. The king sized bed very much resembled the bed in their room at the Holiday Inn; the same room they always rented. The walls were painted crimson red and there was an oak dresser. They had a plasma screen TV in the corner and matching nightstands on each side of the bed. The carpet was velvet and the ground felt soft beneath Jen's feet.

Making their way out of the bedroom, they entered a spacious living room with a 30-inch Sony TV, soft couches with silky pillows and in the corner was a glass cabinet with assortments of alcohol. Jen cocked an eyebrow and said, "You really know how to pick and choose them, don't you Michael?"

Taking his hand, she led them into the kitchen. The kitchen wasn't really large, but it was still big enough to fit at least four people inside. It had the essentials inside, a large refrigerator, an oven, a sink and some wooden cabinets filled with different types of dry foods. Releasing Michael's hand from hers, Jen went to look through the refrigerator. Michael leaned against the oven with his arms crossed over his chest, watching Jen's movements. Usually when he brought her to a stranger's house for the evening, Jen always decided to cook some food for her dinner. Tonight, Jen found shredded cheese, ground beef and some hard taco shells. She'd be making tacos tonight and maybe have a salad with it. As usual, Jen asked Michael if she could make him something to eat, but he'd always declined by shaking his head no.

Jen shrugged her shoulders and Michael moved out of her way so she could start the oven. She opened the window in front of the sink to let out the cooking smell. She heated the frying pan and watched, as the pan grew hotter. Michael watched her carefully curiously as she turned on the sink and placed her hand underneath it. She then turned off the sink and he heard a small hiss as a drop of water from Jen's hand landed on the burning pan. Jen nodded with approval and placed some raw ground beef onto the pan. Smoke emerged from beneath where the ground beef hit the pan and Michael's black eyes widened with surprise.

She placed a lid over top of the pan and allowed the meat to cook inside. Jen stood beside Michael near the refrigerator and watched the meat cooking. Jen smiled and asked, "Always curious?"

Michael's eyebrows rose beneath his mask and Jen laid her head against Michael's arm. She began to rub her head against his arm like a cat and whispered, "You're so stiff, loosen up."

Michael's arms lowered from his chest and were about to wrap around Jen's waist. She turned her head to see the butcher knife still in Michael's grasp and pulled away. Michael looked confused and Jen said, "Put the knife down, Michael. If the couple's really gone for the evening, then you don't need that right now."

He glanced down at his butcher knife, hesitating to put it down, but Jen gave him a pleading gaze. "Please Michael, relax and enjoy your time with me. Let Michael Myers, the serial killer take the rest of the night off, while you just be my Michael."

Keeping a glance at his butcher knife, Michael contemplated inside. He felt safe having the butcher knife with him at all times, but then it was only Jen with him now. He knew she couldn't possibly do anything to physically hurt him if she wanted to, but he still liked having the knife around out of habit. Glancing back at Jen's hazel eyes, he decided to place his butcher knife near the oven before he regretted it.

Jen gave him a pleased glance and placed herself in Michael's arms. She smiled up at him and said, "Silly Michael, there's no reason to have that knife with you when you're with me."

Standing on her tiptoes, Jen kissed Michael's throat and his arms tightened around her waist. Jen laid another kiss on his throat and asked, "There, doesn't that feel nice. See, there are some advantages to ditching the knife."

Instead of replying, Michael pulled Jen closer against him and laid a kiss on her lips. Jen's lips met with the rubber lips of Michael's mask and she instinctively threw an arm around his neck. With herself secured, Jen deepened their kiss and began kissing above his upper masked lip. Michael placed a hand on the back of her head and led Jen's lips back to his masked ones. When he felt her lips, Michael slipped his tongue out of the mask's lips and placed it inside Jen's mouth.

She let out a small gasp of surprise and clung tighter to him. Small shivers of desire crept up on Jen as she felt Michael's tongue within her mouth. She could feel Michael's fingers playing with her hair, which was still tied in a ponytail. Jen sighed and slightly arched her head back. Michael's other hand stroked her lower back, sending more shivers of pleasure down her spine.

Suddenly, there was a loud bubbling noise that interrupted them. Jen turned her head and saw that the ground beef was ready. Jen withdrew from Michael's arms and went to turn off the oven. She took off the lid and allowed the meat to sit for a while as she took care of other things. She opened the refrigerator and got out some lettuce, baby carrots and cucumbers. She placed these things in a small glass bowl and then drenched it with some ranch dressing. With her salad made, Jen opened the box with hard taco shells and took out two. She'd only put enough ground beef for two tacos, so she figured the couple wouldn't notice if some of their ground beef was gone.

Taking a spoon, she placed the hot ground beef into the hard shells. She carefully placed the meat inside, but a small bit of ground beef missed the plate and landed on Jen's hand.

"OUCH!" Jen cried as the piece of ground beef landed on the floor. Michael was at her side in an instant and took her small hand in his. He stared down at the small red mark on her hand, examining it. He glared down at the ground beef; hate brimming in his eyes. Jen noticed where his eyes were directed at and she couldn't help but burst out laughing. Michael glanced back at Jen and she chortled, "I'm sorry…I'm sorry I can't help it. You were glaring at ground beef…"

Her laughter rang out through the kitchen and she shook her head. Straightening her ponytail, Jen glanced back at Michael and noticed his glare had softened slightly. Jen let out another giggle and went back to putting the remaining ground beef in her tacos. She then sprinkled some cheese on them and put the cheese and taco shells away. Michael watched as she quickly scrubbed the greasy pan and placed it back in its proper place. Getting a Coke out of the fridge, Jen took her food and sat down at the kitchen table.

Michael sat beside her in one of chairs and watched Jen eat her dinner. He noticed how her delicate fingers held the food with care and how she always closed her mouth whenever she ate. Tacos were messy to eat, so Jen dropped some beef and cheese onto her plate every now and then. The salad she was eating didn't really seem very appetizing to Michael despite how Jen had told him salads were good for his body. He glanced at the tacos Jen had made and was happily munching away at. They looked good, but he had already eaten.

The rodents he'd had before he'd met up with Jen had been tasty as usual. There had been a couple of feisty ones trying to get away from him, but Michael had crushed their little bodies until they stopped breathing. He licked his lips beneath his mask as he thought about the sweet taste of the rodents' blood. Glancing at Jen's lovely face again, he could imagine her horrified expression if she found him munching on live rodents with blood dripping down his chin. She would be so disgusted with him and probably call him a carnivorous monster. He figured she knew he always got food from somewhere, but she never questioned what he ate, for which Michael was thankful.

Jen was finishing her second taco, the salad already gone and when she had finished, she washed it down with the rest of her Coke. She sighed and said, "I guess I was thirstier than I thought."

Stretching just a little, Jen took her empty dishes and placed them in the dishwasher. With that taken care of, Jen strode over to Michael and asked, "So, what do you wanna do?"

Michael cocked his head to the side, still glancing at Jen. She smiled and asked, "Are you in for a movie? I know how much you _love_ sitting next to me on the couch."

The black eyes widened with some excitement and he led Jen into the living room. As he sat down on the couch, Jen went over to the DVD rack and read through an assortment of titles. As Jen was silently searching through the DVDs, she could feel Michael's eyes on her. Glancing back, she noticed Michael had some amusement in his eyes. Jen smiled and asked, "What? Are you staring at my ass?"

The smirk beneath Michael's mask widened and Jen squealed, "You are staring at my ass."

Turning back to the DVD rack to search for a movie, Jen grinned as she called, "Well, I can't say I blame you. I do have a pretty nice ass, huh?"

Jen giggled at this statement, then said, "All this laughing has made me in the mood for a comedy."

Pulling out a DVD, she walked over to the TV, switched it on and placed the DVD inside. She skipped over to Michael, who sat on the couch and bounced onto it beside him. Michael's black gaze was filled with surprise and Jen snuggled close against him. His arm went around her shoulder as she held the remote in her hands. The DVD menu came on and Jen pushed play.

The movie was Charles Crichton's, "A Fish Called Wanda," which starred John Cleese and Jamie Lee Curtis. It was a rated R comedy and one of Jen's favorite movies. What Jen was unaware of, was how very much the actress Jamie Lee Curtis looked like Michael's younger sister, Laurie. When Jamie Lee Curtis came on the TV screen, Michael's breath stopped short and his eyes narrowed dangerously. Throughout the beginning of the movie, Michael's anger dwindled during the scenes where Jamie Lee Curtis wasn't in it, but when she appeared, Michael felt a dark anger grow and grow inside him.

Jen was clearly enjoying the movie and had no idea what Michael was thinking right now. As Jamie Lee Curtis' character, Wanda was flirting with John Cleese's character, Archie Leach; Jen turned to Michael and said, "Isn't she a great actress? She's one of my favorites."

Michael closed his eyes when Jen looked away and concentrated on breathing. He had to remain in control; he couldn't let this get to him. Jen was laughing as it came to the part when Wanda and her lover, Otto, who was played by Kevin Kline, were about to engage in sex. Otto was speaking Italian and whenever he did, Wanda would be aroused as she was right now on the TV screen. Michael's free hand was shaking in anger as he watched the actress beginning to strip. She looked so much like Laurie; it was ridiculous.

Jen snuggled close to Michael and watched as Otto placed Wanda's boot over his mouth and began to breathe in and out of it. Laughing, Jen said, "Promise you'll never do that before we make love."

Michael barely heard her as his vision began flashing red. His free hand was now clenched in anger and his eyes were furious. He glanced at the oven where his butcher knife lay nearby. _He needed that knife…he needed it!_

Jen's head was lying against Michael's shoulder as she laughed at the movie. She enjoying watching this movie, it was so funny and yet so romantic. She glanced up at Michael at the part when Wanda and Archie Leach were lying on top of a bed together and for the first time she noticed how angry he looked. Jen cocked her head toward him and noticed his clenched hand and murderous eyes at the screen. Nervousness filled her as she stammered out, "M-Michael…Is e-e-everything all right?"

The angry killer didn't really hear her as his glare deepened at Jamie Lee Curtis on the TV screen. Michael was shaking now and Jen frantically tried to get his attention. She placed her hand on his arm with the clenched hand and said, "Michael? Michael, what's wrong? Please look at me."

His breathing was coming in short gasps and Jen shook him this time and cried, "MICHAEL! MICHAEL, LOOK AT ME! CALM DOWN PLEASE!"

Jen shook his shoulder roughly and Michael finally acknowledged her presence. She swallowed and asked, "Michael, why are you so angry? Do you dislike the movie?"

Michael didn't answer, his angry glare unwavering. Jen sighed and asked, "Michael, what's the matter? Can you please find some way of telling me?"

Michael was fighting for control of his rage as he unclenched his hand and shakily reached over for the DVD box of the movie. Jen glanced up at Michael in confusion and he thrust the DVD box in her face. She fought back a shriek as Michael stabbed a finger at the picture of Jamie Lee Curtis on the cover. Jen glanced at him and asked, "Do you dislike Jamie Lee Curtis?"

Michael nodded once and Jen shrugged her shoulders and said, "I'm sorry you don't like her acting."

Thinking it was over; Jen was surprised when Michael stabbed a finger at the picture of Jamie Lee Curtis again. She sighed and said, "Yes, I know you don't like Jamie Lee Curtis, but why do you keep pointing your finger at her?"

Michael's glare deepened and as his hand shook, Jen feared he'd break the DVD box in two. Swallowing again, Jen said, "OK. There's obviously a reason why you don't like Jamie Lee Curtis. I take it you want to guess what that is?"

Michael nodded once and Jen said, "All right, now we've got something here."

Placing her hand on her chin, Jen asked, "You don't like the way she acts?"

Michael shook his head no and Jen tried again, "OK, that's not the reason. Is it because you don't like the way she dresses?"

He angrily shook his head no again and Jen asked, "Well, what about her character? Do you dislike her character in this movie?"

Frustration appeared in Michael's eyes as he violently shook his head no at Jen's latest remark. Jen groaned in exasperation and snapped, "Well, what is it then? Do you dislike the way she looks?"

Jen sighed with relief as Michael nodded his head. She shrugged her shoulders again as she said, "All right, you don't like the way she looks. Is there a reason why?"

Michael nodded and Jen groaned. She knew Michael was expecting her guess why he didn't like Jamie Lee Curtis' looks. Jen was ringing her hands and said, "Michael, I don't know why you don't like the way she looks. Do you think you could try another way to tell me?"

Michael's glare grew at Jen and his gaze flashed to Jamie Lee Curtis' character again on the DVD box. Frantically, Jen noticed a pen and last week's Sunday paper on the coffee table and asked, "Could you write it down?"

His hand on the DVD box tightened and Jen fearfully placed her hand on Michael's shaking hand and said, "Michael, why don't you just write it down? Let go of the DVD box and take the pen and paper instead."

Michael's breathing was coming in short gasps again and Jen carefully took hold of the DVD box and said, "Michael, let it go. Let go of the box and take the pen and paper."

His eyes were glued to Jamie Lee Curtis' picture and Jen gently placed her hand under his masked chin. The black eyes flashed to hers and Jen said with a shaky voice, "Michael, listen to me. Let go of the box and write down what's bothering you."

His hand was violently shaking and already Jen heard a small crack within the DVD box, but she gasped when he let go of the box. Placing the box away from Michael's reach, Jen handed Michael a pen and paper. "OK, now please write down why you don't like what Jamie Lee Curtis looks like."

Michael roughly snatched the pen and paper away from her and was furiously writing something so hard that the pen went through the paper when Michael was finishing his last letter. Taking a deep breath, Michael flipped the paper around for Jen to see. On the paper in big, bold letters read, _**SISTER**_.

Jen read the word out loud and asked, "Sister? What does that mean? Do you mean your sister?"

Michael nodded once, but Jen asked, "Do you mean she reminds you of Judith? Is that it?"

Michael's glare deepened and he looked very venomous, as if he'd rip her head off. Jen cried, "Well, if its not Judith, then who else could it be?"

Jen glanced down at the picture of Jamie Lee Curtis in annoyance and felt her breath get caught in her throat. Glancing at the photo closely, Jen's eyes widened in recognition. Of course, why hadn't she seen that before?

"Michael, is it because she looks like Laurie? Is that what's bothering you?" Jen asked.

Michael's eyes narrowed further when Jen said Laurie's name and now she knew her suspicions were confirmed. Reaching over to grab the remote, she flipped off the TV at the part when Archie managed to get Wanda her locket back. Michael's breathing was still coming in short gasps and Jen placed her hands on his shoulders. "It's OK, Michael. I turned the movie off, I understand now. Of course it makes sense, I should've remembered."

Michael's black eyes were focused on hers and he was trying to calm down. Suddenly, Jen reached over and lifted the bottom half of his mask to reveal his mouth. Michael grunted angrily, but stopped when Jen kissed his mouth. Michael's breathing stopped at the contact, but took a deep breath when Jen parted her lips from his. "Sssh, calm down. It's all right, Michael," Jen soothed, as she gently massaged his shoulders.

Michael was taking deep breaths as Jen whispered, "That's right. Breathe, Michael. Breathe."

Jen kissed him on the lips again and Michael returned it slowly. After kissing his cheek lovingly, Jen pulled the bottom half of his mask down and said, "We should probably go home now, Michael. I think we've done enough here."

He nodded; he was more than happy to get out of here after what had happened. Jen removed the DVD from the DVD player and placed the movie back on the rack with the others. Walking over to Michael, she took his hand in hers and asked, "Shall we?"

Michael retrieved his butcher knife from near the oven and instantly felt better now that it with him.

However, before they left, Jen said she had stop by the bathroom quickly. Michael waited outside as Jen shut the door behind her. She didn't have to go to the bathroom at all, in fact, she was in here because she was looking for something. She raced to the glass cabinet and her eyes roamed the cabinet filled with various body products and pills.

"Please have some. Please have some," Jen muttered to herself.

Her eyes were more frantic with worry now; surely almost any woman in Haddonfield would have these. Her finger was tapping against the sink impatiently, when she found what she was looking for. Jen sighed with relief and whispered, "Yes!"

In Jen's hand was a bottle of Birth Control pills. Two years ago when Jen and Michael had begun having sex, she hadn't really thought much about the possibility of whether or not she might get pregnant. However, one morning, she'd had a scare when her period was a month late and she awoke one morning to throw up. It was while Jen was throwing up that she'd remembered how she could very likely become pregnant. She'd been absolutely terrified at the possibility; not because she didn't want children, but because she was so young and because she and Michael had never discussed the possibility of having children.

Michael had known she was acting funny all morning, but she hadn't told him since she didn't know how he'd react. While Michael had been away killing people, Jen had snuck out of her job during lunch break and smuggled a pregnancy test from the pharmacy. She'd also smuggled some birth control pills, just in case she wasn't pregnant. Jen had felt bad for stealing, but it had been an emergency. It had felt like a long time when Jen waited for her results in the privacy of her bedroom and because she couldn't have told this to Michael or to Danny and his family, she'd felt very alone and scared.

What if Michael didn't want children and decided to kill her for being pregnant? Or would he be happy and rejoice at the idea of having a baby that was his and Jen's? When the egg timer went off, Jen had slowly walked into her bathroom. Cautiously, she'd picked up the small pregnancy test and sighed happily when a minus sign appeared. Relief coursed through her; that had been a close one…too close.

Even since then, Jen had been taking birth control pills before she and Michael had sex at night. Their lovemaking was frequent, so Jen was used to taking a pill almost every night. Michael didn't know Jen was taking the pills since they still did not discuss the possibility of children and at the moment, Jen didn't feel ready to have a child, especially while she was in college. Sighing, Jen flushed the toilet to let Michael think she'd gone to the bathroom and turned on the sink. As she let the water run, she slipped the bottle of pills into her pocket, then flipped the sink off as she opened the door to leave with Michael.


	7. Psychopath

Devotion to a Murderer

**Devotion to a Murderer**

Notes and Disclaimer: I do not own Michael Myers or any other the Halloween characters…but Jen and any other character not associated with the movies are my characters! **Sorry this chapter's a little short; I'll make up for it on the next chapter.** **If you'll glance down at the title, I think the content in this chapter is pretty self-explanatory since we're dealing with Michael's enemy. Still, this chapter has some rape in it. **Now it is time for Chapter 6…Enjoy it and Love it!

**Chapter 6: Psychopath**

**Haddonfield, Illinois**

**October 23, 2003**

Jacob Wynn stalked through the neighborhood where Michael Myers once lived with a smirk on his face. The cold night air hit his face, but he wasn't concerned with being cold. He passed the sight where Michael's house had once been and it reminded him of the burned barn he'd been informed of two years ago. When he'd gotten back to Smith's Grove Sanitarium, the blood he'd taken a sample of on the pitchfork had been confirmed to be Michael's. After that, it was simply a matter of looking up Jen Blackwell and finding out everything he could.

He wasn't a stupid man; he knew that just because he'd found a blood sample of Michael's, it meant nothing. Michael could bleed all over a certain area, but he could still find a way to stay out of sight. He was rather clever, one of the things that had captured the attention of Jacob's father while Michael was kept in Smith's Grove Sanitarium.

Jacob glared at the empty sight where the Myers' house once stood and he was filled with hatred. Who did this Michael Myers think he was? He'd been an absolute nobody till he'd murdered his sister and since then, he'd been a big phenomenon. Honestly, Jacob couldn't see what made Michael so special and why Terrance Wynn had wasted his time teaching Michael the ways about the Curse of Thorn. It should've been Jacob who should have the Curse of Thorn, not Michael Myers. Jacob, who had learned of Thorn shortly after he'd begun to walk and who had been completely loyal to his father, had been cast aside from inheriting the Curse of Thorn from his father and a lowlife had been chosen instead.

He rolled down his sleeve to glance down at the symbol of Thorn on his wrist. He gazed at it with both anger and admiration. Michael may currently have the Curse of Thorn within him, but that didn't make him right for the job. The power and gift of Thorn belonged to Jacob and when he killed Michael, he'd take back what was rightfully his.

Covering the symbol with the sleeve of his coat, he spotted a light flickering off at the house next to the nonexistent Myers house. He grinned wide, excitement building inside him. This was another reason why he was more worthy than Michael was, that masked fool killed to escape memories of his family and because he felt it to be his job. Jacob on the other hand, he was different.

From the time he was young, Jacob had found such pleasure in torturing small animals. Occasionally, he'd take a cat wandering around his home or Smith's Grove Sanitarium and slowly beat it to death with a stick. With the lab rats in the sanitarium, he found himself stabbing them with safety pins and would sigh happily when he heard a squeak of pain from the tiny creature. He didn't know why he'd enjoyed it so much, especially since his mother had told him it was wrong. For whatever reason, it had made Jacob feel good doing it, so he kept it up. Eventually, he'd grown bored with animals and had longed to experiment with inflicting pain on a human being.

His first victim had been when he was seven years old, exactly a year after Michael had been placed in Smith's Grove. His father had ignored him once again saying that he 'had to attend to the needs of Michael.' First, he'd been crushed by his father's lack of caring toward him, but a furious rage had replaced it and began to grow within. He'd begun shaking uncontrollably; his tiny body trembled violently as his blue eyes had grown wide. Soft, yet angry grunts had emerged from his throat and had attracted the attention of a female nurse. She'd been headed to an elderly man's room when she'd seen Jacob having convulsions, unlike those she had ever seen before.

The nurse had quickly knelt by Jacob's side and asked if he was all right. At the sound of her voice, Jacob had turned his murderous glare toward her, frightening the nurse. Nervous, she'd been about to call for Terrance when Jacob suddenly smacked her across the face. The nurse had fallen to the ground with a hard thud; her head had slammed against the hard floor. She'd let out a cry of pain, which comforted Jacob inside. He didn't know why it made his angry heart feel better, but he'd liked the feeling. He wanted to keep feeling content so he'd done it again. The nurse had shrieked again as Jacob's hand had collided with her nose.

Jacob had smiled at her shriek, yet it wasn't enough. Somehow, he needed more screams and the sight of the woman's blood looked rather pleasant. He'd grabbed a pair of scissors sitting by the counter and stabbed the woman in the leg. More screams poured from her mouth and Jacob stabbed her again, this time in the waist. With each stab, Jacob's rage lessened each time. It was truly exhilarating as he'd continued to stab her breasts, her buttocks and the woman's blood flying everywhere onto his clothes and face. He'd continued this, happily enjoying the screams this woman made. It wasn't until he'd stabbed her in the shoulder once again that Jacob had first heard the voice.

"_**STOP!" **_a rough voice had yelled.

At first, Jacob had feared that a doctor had walked in and seen what he had done, but there hadn't appeared to be anybody around. He'd glanced around and asked out loud, "Who are you?"

"_**I'm a friend, Jacob. Stop looking around the room like an idiot, you'll never physically see me. You could say I'm your subconscious or something, a guide if you will," **_the voice had replied, with an edge of cruelty to his voice.

"What do you mean? Guide me to what?" Jacob had asked, the pair of bloody scissors still in his grasp.

"_**I help those who feel lost and need some guidance toward their path to Thorn. You, Jacob are in desperate need of finding your way," **_the voice had responded.

Jacob's face fell and he'd said, "I'm…I'm not the one baring the Curse of Thorn. Michael Myers is the one you should be speaking to."

"_**I told you, I speak to all those in need to find their way to Thorn and that includes you as well, Jacob." **_

"You…you talk to Michael?" Jacob had asked.

"_**I have spoken to him as I did your father years ago. However, you're special…you're different from the others. They simply see Thorn as a job, you see it as a pleasure!" **_the voice said.

"It's too bad my father doesn't see it that way," Jacob had whispered, sadly.

"_**Tell me something, Jacob. Don't you hate your father for ignoring you and giving all his attention to Michael? Aren't you angry that your father would rather teach the Curse of Thorn to that Myers instead of you?"**_ the voice replied, with a hint of sympathy in his voice.

Jacob had glanced down at the floor of the bloody, mutilated mess of the nurse and his bottom lip began to tremble. "Yes," Jacob whimpered, feeling angry all over again.

"_**Yes, I know. It's a terrible feeling, isn't it? Coming second to Michael, feeling like no one understands you…" **_the voice went on in a saddened tone.

Jacob had nodded as he'd felt tears of rage come into his eyes. "H-how do you know that?" the boy had asked, feeling a sob in his throat.

"_**I'm the only who truly understands you, Jacob. You're right, that Michael Myers has no right with the Curse of Thorn. It should belong to you and it will belong to you," **_the voice declared, with a dangerous tone.

"How? Father's already teaching Michael about the curse and only one can truly inherit the curse. It can't happen for two people," Jacob had whimpered, shaking as he glanced at the pair of bloody scissors in his hands.

"_**What you say is true. However, that doesn't mean you can't learn the ways of Thorn. I will show you everything you need to know about Thorn and even more than your father ever could. Together, we can make your father and Michael sorry for what has been done to you! With my help, you'll do extraordinary things and eventually, take from Michael what belongs to you and you alone!" **_the voice bellowed in triumph.

"You'll…teach me these things?" Jacob's eyes had widened, hope filling his eyes for the first time since Michael showed up.

"_**Of course, dear boy. The pleasure you just felt killing that woman, exquisite, wasn't it?"**_ the haunting voice had questioned.

"Yes…I felt…free," Jacob had answered.

"_**Yes, that's right, Jacob. It is a wonderful feeling. Don't you want to keep feeling that way? Don't you want to make your father pay for his mistake?" **_the voice had asked.

"I want to make him sorry he ever ignored me," Jacob had said, anger in his seven-year old voice.

"_**And don't you want to show Michael who's truly worthy of the curse? Don't you want to put that ignorant bitch back in his place?" **_the voice demanded, his voice a little higher.

"I want to rip his fucking head off!" Jacob had shrieked, not feeling ashamed that he'd said the "F" word that his mother told him to never say.

"_**That's my boy. LISTEN TO ME, AND YOU'LL NEVER FEEL LESS THAN WHOLE AGAIN!" **_the voice roared in his head.

"I'm ready to listen…Master. I'll do whatever you say," Jacob had declared, bowing his head slightly as if to bow to his invisible master.

"_**Perfect. Now, quickly leave the scissors behind and change into a new set of clothes. Doctors will be coming by here soon and we can't have your training interrupted, can we?"**_ the evil voice had commanded.

After that, Jacob had obeyed the unknown voice's command and was never the same again. No one ever found out that Jacob had killed the young nurse and since Jacob wasn't a patient at Smith's Grove, it made the search for the nurse's murderer even harder. Jacob managed to maintain a polite persona towards his father's staff and patients in public and as he'd grown older, he'd become quite handsome. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Jacob would follow the success of his father in the sanitarium.

However, once the staff had gone away, Jacob was a monstrous beast towards the patients in their cells. For years, he enjoyed torturing his victims by beating them senselessly until they lost consciousness or died. It had been such fun until the voice had taught him a new way to torment his victims. He'd been sixteen when he'd first decided to try raping someone. He'd had knowledge about sex from high school and most of his peers had already begun fucking each other. His father had been seeing to Michael after Dr. Loomis had left for the evening and Jacob had wandered around the halls, longing for something to do.

Then, the voice in his head had suggested he try having a sexual experience with someone. After all, he was only sixteen and deserved some excitement. Jacob had masturbated before on numerous occasions, but he'd never actually had sex before. It terrified him to think of doing it, but the voice knew what was best for him and Jacob trusted him. He'd very slowly made his way into a little girl's bedroom and she appeared to be around ten years old. She'd looked at him with curious eyes as he'd shut the door and asked him who he was. Jacob had swallowed and made his way toward her.

From then, the voice had directed him what to do to the girl. When the voice told him to fondle the young girls breasts, which hadn't even begun to grow yet, Jacob obeyed. He'd ripped the screaming young girl's clothes off and had fondled, pinched and licked the parts of her body the voice told him to. She'd been a real fighter against him and Jacob had had to cover his mouth with her hand in order to keep her from causing attention. When he'd thrust into her, Jacob had grown excited with every thrust, pleasure filling him. Now he had a new method of his choosing on how to torture his victims and Jacob had smiled the entire time. When he'd finally spilled his seed into the young girl, the voice had told him that was enough and that he had to leave before his father came back. Jacob had dressed hurriedly before glancing at the sobbing girl, who'd curled into a ball, shaking. Before he'd left, Jacob had roughly turned her face to his and snarled, "Never tell anyone about this or I'll do it to you again!"

He never visited the girl again and she hadn't told anyone what happened. He later learned that the girl had hung herself two weeks after the event.

Now, years later, Jacob was invincible and a million times the killer Michael Myers ever was. Jacob grinned at the now darkened house next to where Michael's house used to be, he felt the strong urge to go inside and murder everyone in that house. The Smithson's murder last night had been quite fun and he'd thoroughly enjoyed it, but now he had a new urge and this family was the new target. Slowly and cautiously, he made his way to the house, ready to make his mark.


	8. Frustration

Devotion to a Murderer

**Devotion to a Murderer**

Notes and Disclaimer: I do not own Michael Myers or any of the Halloween characters…but Jen and everyone else are my characters! Now it is time for Chapter 7…Enjoy it and Love it!

**Chapter 7: Frustration**

**Haddonfield, Illinois**

**October 23, 2005**

Jen stirred softly as she awoke to the sound of church bells. It was Sunday…and tomorrow she would be going to college for her classes. A yawn escaped Jen's lips as she turned in her bed. Beside her, Michael watched as she turned toward him and gave him a hug. The tip of her nose was pressed against his throat and she took the opportunity to breathe in his scent. Michael cocked his head slightly to meet her hazel eyes and Jen smiled up at him.

"Hey," Jen whispered, sleepily. Covering her mouth to let out a yawn, Jen sighed, "I don't have to work much today, you know."

Michael raised his eyebrows and she explained, "Yeah. It's only for five hours. They close early on Sundays."

He smiled the half smile she loved so much and Jen rubbed her cheek against his affectionately. Already, ideas were running through Michael's head about what they could do for the evening. Maybe he'd do something different than their usual routine like he'd done last night. After all, they had an extra two hours on their hands to do what they pleased. Maybe he'd sneak her into the movie theater and see that new horror movie that recently came out, The Fog. He knew Jen loved watching movies and after the event in the apartment last night; he felt he owed her a little.

Jen kissed Michael's nose and whispered, "You are…without a doubt; the sexist man I have ever seen."

Michael grinned and captured his lips in hers. Their lips moved together rhythmically as he tasted her lips. They had just a faint taste of strawberries since she'd put some strawberry lip-gloss on the night before. It was quite a treat for him to taste her lips, which were like strawberries and to smell her scent of lavender. Yes, quite a wonderful thing indeed.

As for Jen, she couldn't quite put a name to his scent at the moment. He always smelled different each day. Sometimes he smelled of blood and the overwhelming scent smoke from a cigarette when he met up with her at night. Other times he came back to her smelling of pine trees from trudging through the woods in order to find his latest kill. When he bathed with her though, that was perhaps when he smelled his best. Then, he smelled like Dove soap, quite a heavenly scent for someone who went around killing people. After sniffing the skin on his neck again, Jen came to the conclusion that he smelled like the clean bed sheets they'd fallen asleep on with a hint of Dove soap.

Jen licked Michael's lower lip after kissing him and whispered, "You smell good."

Michael responded by capturing her in his arms and burying his face in her hair, as he sent many kisses on the top of her head. Jen giggled; it tickled whenever Michael did that. She kissed his throat and gently grazed the skin with her teeth. The action made Michael shudder and he placed himself on top of Jen so she was looking up at him.

"You caught me," Jen teased, smiling wide at him.

Michael's grin widened and a mischievous expression filled his eyes. Jen wrapped her arms around him and dragged his head down for a kiss. Once his lips met with hers again, Jen's tongue caressed his lips. Michael opened his mouth and permitted Jen to place her tongue there. He inhaled his breath as her tongue began to stroke the roof of his mouth back and forth. She then rubbed the tip of her tongue against the side of his mouth as her arms tightened on Michael's neck. When she finally removed her tongue from his mouth, Michael's hands gripped her waist and glanced down at her eye level. Without one word or hint of his intentions, Michael entered her swiftly. Jen gasped out loud with pleasure and whispered, "Yes, Michael. Yes…"

He thrust into her again, their eyes locked on each other. Jen's arms around Michael's neck were vice-like. The skin beneath where Michael had clamped onto Jen's waist was bruising slightly. Jen moaned in pleasure as he thrust into her with desire and lust in his eyes. "Michael…Michael, keep going…" Jen moaned.

Michael smiled and continued thrusting into her as they clung to each other. Jen thrashed her head from side to side and gave Michael a bruising kiss on his lips that made him let out a barely audible moan.

As Michael increased the pace of his thrusts, Jen nearly screamed when she heard her cell phone ring. Jen glanced as the cell phone's annoying buzz went on. "OH FUCK!" she muttered as Michael halted his thrusts. He was still poised on top of Jen when she reached over and plucked her cell phone from the nightstand. She glanced at the ID and saw that Matt was calling her. Michael's eyes narrowed at the ID. How dare that boy call while he was with Jen and having sex with her no less?

Jen swiped some sweat off her face and flipped open the phone. Pressing it against her left ear, she managed to breathe out, "Yes?"

"Hey Jen, it's Matt!" said a cheerful voice, from the other end.

"Oh, hey Matt. What's up?" Jen asked, noticing the way Michael's eyes narrowed and how truly annoyed he looked.

"Nothing much. Are you OK? You sound a little out of breath," Matt said, concern filling his voice.

Jen took a deep breath and lied, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just got out of bed, that's all."

"Oh. I didn't mean to wake you," said Matt, obvious guilt filling his voice on the other end of the phone.

"You didn't. I just got up, not your fault," Jen quickly reassured.

"Good," Matt sighed, his relief evident at not having awakened her. Jen could hear him taking a deep breath on the other end of the phone and continued, "Well, anyhow, Amanda, Danielle and I are headed out to that new steakhouse, Longhorn Steakhouse tonight. Would you like to come with us?"

Jen's eyes widened in surprise and she said without thinking, "Of course. Can you pick me up where I work?"

"At that pizza shop? Definitely," said Matt, who seemed really pleased.

"That'll be great. So, what time should I expect you?" asked Jen, glancing at Michael, who went from annoyed to extremely confused. His black eyes were questioning her as to what was going on.

"I'll be there around five thirty, OK?" Matt answered.

"All right, I'll be ready then." Jen's eyes had not wavered from Michael's gaze.

"Awesome. See you tonight, Jen!" Matt said, before hanging up.

"See you later," Jen said and hung up. Placing the phone back on the nightstand, Jen saw Michael glancing at her with confusion.

Jen tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said, "That was Matt. He, Amanda, Danielle and I are going out to Longhorn Steakhouse for dinner tonight. Isn't that so nice of them?"

Michael's expression turned to anger, as he shook his head no. Jen cocked an eyebrow at him and asked, "What do you mean, no? You don't think that's nice?"

Michael was glaring at Jen, shaking slightly. She noticed how he'd placed his hands away from her as if she burned. Cocking her head in confusion, she asked, "What's the matter? Don't you like that I'm going to be hanging out with my friends tonight?"

He angrily shook his head no and Jen asked innocently, "You don't want me to go out with them tonight?"

Michael nodded once and his glare grew. Jen's eyes widened in anger herself and she snapped, "Why not? It's not like I get to hang out with them everyday outside of school!"

He pointed to the new earrings Jen had bought while at the mall with Danielle yesterday and Jen's eyes followed his finger. Groaning, she said, "Oh for the love of God, Michael! Well, I didn't see Matt and Amanda while I was at the mall yesterday and I actually want to hang out with them as well."

Still glaring at her, Michael pulled away from Jen and shoved the blankets off his body as he stalked off the bed. Jen sat up, covering her naked body with the blankets and protested, "Why are you being such a jerk? I'm allowed to hang out with my friends if I want to. They asked me to go with them out to dinner and I'm doing that whether you like it or not!"

Michael ripped his white mask on, yet the black eyes still looked murderous and dangerous. Jen was growing a little fearful, but she would continue to stand her ground against him. "What is making you so pissed off about all this? It's not like I'm going on a date with someone, I'm just having dinner with my friends and I don't need your permission to do that!" Jen cried.

Michael cocked his head to the side and his glare beneath the mask deepened. Jealousy had creped into him like the plague. He didn't like the idea of that boy having dinner with her. Even though Jen's two other friends would be there, Michael was still not happy about it.

"Just try to make me understand why you're so angry. Can't you be happy for me?" Jen asked, feeling hurt by Michael's unexplained behavior.

Michael retrieved his dirty mechanic's uniform from the ground and Jen watched as he slipped it on roughly. Not willing to give up without some type of explanation, she cried, "Will you stop being such an ignorant dick and tell me what the fuck your problem is?!"

Michael had stopped moving after placing his arm through the other sleeve of his mechanic's uniform and his hand began to clench violently. Jen watched him very carefully as he stalked towards her side of the bed and snatched her cell phone off the nightstand.

"You're not going to break that, are you? Michael Myers, don't you fucking dare!" Jen fought to keep her voice from shrieking.

He opened the tiny silver cell phone and began pushing buttons on it and Jen got up from the bed with the blanket wrapped around her body. She watched as he pushed different buttons, obviously intent on finding something. "What is it? What are you looking for?" Jen asked, fearing with each passing second that Michael would break the tiny phone.

When the section of received calls came up, Michael pressed on the green button and a short list of names came up. Seeing Matt's name at the top of the list, he stabbed a finger at the screen and send his furious glare at Jen's bewildered eyes.

"What about Matt? You don't like him or something?" Jen asked, clutching the blanket tighter to her slightly cold form.

Michael kept glaring at Jen and she stared back into to his, trying to understand what bugged him so much. It wasn't until she noticed he broke their gaze just to glare at the name on the screen that it dawned on her. Jen felt a smile spread on her face and she began to laugh despite the situation at hand. So that's what was bothering him; it was simply ridiculous and it made sense. Still, how stupid.

Hearing Jen's laughter, Michael's glare transformed into one of surprise. Why was Jen laughing like that? Gazing into Michael's eyes, Jen covered her mouth to stifle her laughter and choked out, "You're jealous."

Michael's black eyes widened in indignation and he shook his head quickly to deny it. Jen shook with laughter and gasped out, "You're jealous. You're jealous of a college boy. You think I'm going to go out with him."

The masked man shook his head in denial and was thankful he had his mask on. If he'd left it off, Jen would've seen that he was blushing furiously with anger because she had guessed correctly on his feelings. So maybe he was a _little_ jealous, but that didn't mean he wanted Jen to know that.

Jen was still laughing and shaking her head in disbelief. The idea of Michael being jealous was simply comical. She glanced up to find him glaring at her murderously and she swallowed her laughter. Michael zipped up the rest of his mechanic's uniform and snatched his butcher knife before tossing aside the tiny cell phone. Jen caught it before it hit the floor and found that Michael was leaving.

"Michael. Where are you going?" Jen asked, her angry expression returning. Michael didn't give her a backward glance and instead opened the window that led to the alleyway.

Jen inhaled sharply and cried, "Don't you walk out on me, Michael Myers! You look at me when I'm talking to you."

Michael turned back to Jen, but the fury was plain in his black eyes. He bore his angry eyes into hers and then turned his back on her again. Jen felt something inside her tear apart when she watched Michael climb down the ladder that would lead him into the streets of Haddonfield. With the blanket still wrapped around her, she watched him wander into the alleyway; obviously headed to his destination of Downtown Haddonfield. When he'd disappeared from her view, she closed her window and placed the blanket back onto the bed. Jen sat down on the bed and felt tears prick into her eyes. Damn him…Michael made life so difficult sometimes. This wasn't the first time they'd had a falling out like this, but Michael had never turned his back on her like that before. Hot tears now made their way down her cheeks and she felt a sob rise in her throat. She covered her face with her hands and whispered, "Damn you, Michael. Damn you!"

Sobs wracked Jen's body and she wished Michael would come back so she could explain to him that her going out with friends wasn't a big deal…or maybe she simply wished Michael were here so he would hold her and try to understand. It was already hard since she knew he'd never speak comforting words or have a conversation with her, but it was harder whenever she needed him to hold her and he wasn't there. Jen wasn't usually a needy person, but at that moment, she needed someone to talk to about her frustrations and wanted comfort with assurances that everything would be all right.

Brushing away the tears on her cheeks, Jen went into the bathroom to get some tissues. She stared at herself in the mirror and a teary-eyed, sad girl stared back at her. She gazed at her reflection and whispered to herself, "You're OK…it's gonna be OK. Now stop crying, Jen. You have work to do."

The little pep talk she'd had with herself wasn't enough to make her sorrows go away, but it was enough for her put some clothes on and get ready. The tears in her eyes had dried up by now and after washing her face and applying a little makeup, she looked pretty convincing. To look at her now, no one would've ever thought her mind was troubled with thoughts of someone she loved or that she had been crying just a few minutes ago.

Jen felt a bitter smile come onto her face. A liar…that's the price she was paying for being with Michael. Day in and day out, she lied about who she was to the friends she'd made. She was lying to Danny and his family about where she went at nights, about her being a wanderer and about her being the only one who slept in her bed at nights. She was lying to Amanda, Danielle and Matt about her current living situation and her dating status. Now that she thought about it, hadn't she lied to Michael a few times as well? She'd lied about a few things in order to spare his feelings or in fear that he would be angry with her or become more protective of her.

"I'm a liar…I've become a liar," Jen whispered into the mirror after she applied some eyeliner. Guilt spread through her and she recalled the many lies she'd sprouted from her mouth in the last two years. She'd lied a lot. This knowledge made Jen feel like crying again and she forced the tears away. She couldn't cry, not when she'd recently managed to make the tears stop. No, she'd have to save tears for a later date.

Taking a deep breath, she tied her hair back into its usual ponytail for work and made her way down the stairs for some breakfast. Danny and others looked very surprised to see Jen as Martha said, "You're up earlier than usual, Jen."

Jen glanced at the clock and saw that it was 9:30 AM. The shop didn't open for another hour and a half. Putting on a smile, Jen said, "Yeah. I don't know how it happened. Oh well."

Danny was flying some eggs in the pan and stated, "You're just in time for some breakfast though."

Jen sat down beside Marie, who greeted Jen with a big smile. "Hey Jen! Grandma said I could help in the shop today," Marie said excitedly.

A smile appeared on Jen's face as she said, "That's nice."

"Grandma said I could work with you today. She said you're going to be serving the people today," Marie babbled again.

"I'd really appreciate the help," Jen said, as Danny handed Jen a plate of scrambled eggs and toast.

"So, what are going to do tonight, Jen?" asked Martha, flipping through the Sunday paper.

"I'm going to be out with my friends tonight. We figured we'd try this new steakhouse that opened," Jen answered, grateful that she didn't have to lie this time.

"Gosh, you have some very grateful friends who like hanging out with you. I hope they've still got some cash in their bank accounts," Danny joked, with a laugh.

Jen stopped chewing on the piece of scrambled egg she'd been eating and quickly lied, "Oh, sometimes one of them cooks at their apartment or something. We go out mostly, but sometimes we don't."

"Well that's good. It's nice to get a variety," said Martha, flipping another page of the paper.

"Yeah…" Jen whispered, swallowing her mouthful of egg uneasily.

"Jen, since your up…do you wanna play Barbies with me?" asked Marie, poking her head in Jen's sight.

Grateful for the distraction, Jen answered, "Sure. That'll be fun."

Marie grinned and let out a happy squeal as Martha muttered, "Calm down, Marie. Don't want to wear the poor girl down."

"That's fine," Jen said. Glancing down at Marie, she added, "Besides, I enjoy playing Barbies with you."

After finishing her breakfast, Jen allowed Marie to lead her by the hand up the stairs. In no time, they entered Marie's tiny pink room filled with glow in the dark stickers and stuffed animals. It always amazed Jen how Marie could have so many toys and how they managed to fit inside her tiny room. Marie pulled out her box of dolls and handed Jen a dark haired one. "She looks just like you," said Marie, smiling.

Jen smiled at the Barbie and joked, "And she's not so bad to look at either."

Marie giggled and Jen asked, "So what are the Barbies going to do today?"

"They're gonna go to the mall and then when they'll be some bad girls who try to steal their stuff. Then after that, two handsome boys save them and become their boyfriends," Marie explained, pulling out a two male Barbies.

Jen shook her head and sighed at the planned story Marie had set for the Barbies. "Here, you take this one and I'll take that one," said Marie. She handed Jen the blond haired male Barbie and kept the dark haired one for herself.

"So, what are you gonna name your man Barbie? I'm going to name mine Derek," said Marie, placing her blond Barbie doll against her dark haired Ken doll. Jen stared closely at the blond haired male Barbie and thought of a name. It looked nothing like Michael, so that name was out of the question. Usually, Marie gave Jen the dark haired Ken doll, but today Jen was with the blond one.

Shrugging her shoulders, Jen answered, "I guess I'll name him Matt since he kind of looks like my guy friend."

"Wow, that's a great boyfriend name. You usually name your guy, Michael," said Marie.

Jen bit her lip at Marie's mention of this. Had she always named her Barbie's boyfriend after Michael? Perhaps it was because the Ken doll resembled Michael when he was unmasked save for the fact that the doll didn't have scars throughout the body or black eyes.

Snapping out of her trance, Jen said, "OK, so let's get on with the game."

The game was kind of cute the way Jen saw it. The two Barbies were shopping for perfume and jewelry. Then, Jen and Marie took two different female Barbies and the two for whatever unknown reason wanted to spoil the good Barbies' afternoon. It was while the two evil Barbies tried to steal the good Barbies' bags that it was cue for the two male Barbies to save them. After the male Barbies punched the evil ones, it was Jen made a noise as if her Barbie was crying.

"Why are you crying?" Jen said for the male Barbie in a deep voice. Marie was giggling quietly at the sound of Jen's fake male voice.

"I'm fine, I'm just so relieved it's over." Jen spoke this time in her normal voice for the female Barbie.

"Don't worry. I'll keep you safe, it's going to be all right." Jen spoke in the male Barbie voice this time.

Jen stopped right then, feeling a pang of ache in her heart. The scene she was performing in front of her was actually what she was longing for. That female Barbie had a complete random stranger telling her everything would be all right and she didn't even have to lie about what was bothering her.

Just then, Martha called Jen and Marie down to work at the pizza shop. "That was fun, Jen!" Marie said, as they placed the Barbies back into the large box. Jen smiled and silently followed Marie down the stairs. Inside, her emotions were raging again about what had happened between her and Michael this morning. If only her problems could be simple like the female Barbie she'd been playing with just now.


	9. Dinner With Friends

Devotion to a Murderer

**Devotion to a Murderer**

Notes and Disclaimer: I do not own Michael Myers or any of the other Halloween characters…but Jen and everyone else are my characters. **Thank you to the people who read and leave a review of my work. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it!** Now it is time for Chapter 8…Enjoy it and Love it!

**Chapter 8: Dinner With Friends**

**Haddonfield, Illinois**

**October 23, 2005**

Work passed quickly for Jen, which was both a good and bad thing. Good, because serving the customers could wear anyone out, not to mention cleaning the dishes and making the pizzas. However, it was also bad that work passed quickly because it gave her an hour and half to recount her bad incident with Michael this morning. When Jen opened the door to her room, she was surprised and disappointed that Michael was not there. Normally, he'd been standing by the window or sitting on her bed waiting for her to join him when she came up to her room. This time, he was not.

"_He's probably still angry at me," _Jen thought. She lay down on her bed and gazed up at the ceiling. She didn't regret standing her ground against Michael and she certainly wasn't sorry for defending her rights. However, she should've been a little more considerate when she'd laughed at him for being jealous. That hadn't been kind and as funny as Jen thought it was for Michael to be jealous, she shouldn't have laughed as she had.

She wondered how Michael was at the moment. He was probably off killing some residents in Downtown Haddonfield. Though she hadn't said anything to Michael, she'd noticed he'd gone there a lot for his killings. He probably killed drug addicts or prostitutes…people who wouldn't be missed and who probably wouldn't even be on the missing person list. It still wasn't right for Michael to kill them, but it was preferable to him slaughtering innocent people who would be missed. If he wasn't killing families like she thought he wasn't, she was extremely grateful.

Jen's eyes began to droop slightly as she glanced at the clock. Only ten minutes had gone by and she had time left. It was clear that Michael wasn't coming to see her before she left for dinner with Matt and the others, so she might as well take a nap. She set her alarm clock to five minutes before Matt was to arrive and lay down on the bed to sleep.

_She was wandering through a house, a rather nice looking one at that. However, the house seemed dead, as if devoid of warmth. The window by the hall was cracked open, letting the chilly night air in. The hallway she was cautiously walking through wasn't pitch black, but she could barely make out anything. Biggie Smalls music was playing down below, the rhythm pulsing through Jen's beating heart. Yet, the music did nothing to calm her nerves. It only provided an illusion of security. _

_A loud thump sounded on the stairs, but when Jen turned her head, there was no one. Next, there was brushing sound, as if an article of clothing was being removed. How strange was this. Jen gazed around the darkened hallway and called, "Who's there?"_

_There was no answer and Jen began to smile. "Michael, is that you?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips._

_She glanced around and continued striding through the hallway. "Michael. Michael, come out," Jen called._

_After turning her head to glance down the stairs, she gasped when she saw a dark figure hidden by the shadows in a corner of the hallway. The figure stood, breathing silently and barely moving a muscle. Jen shook her head and said, "There you are, Michael. What are you doing over there?"_

_The figure cocked its head to side and Jen asked, "Michael? Michael, what's going on?"_

_After it cocked its head to the other side, Jen began to grow impatient. Crossing her arms over her chest, Jen snapped, "All right, Michael. Quit fooling around and will you stop doing that. You look strange when you cock your head like that. Now, come on out so I can see you."_

_Obeying her request, the figure stepped from the shadows and now she could see him. Jen's throat went dry and she whispered, "You're…not Michael!"_

_It wasn't Michael at all, not even close. Instead, a handsome man with curly black hair and eyes blue like ice stood before her. He appeared to be middle aged; yet the smirk on his face appeared to be that of a young boy's. He wore a brown trench coat and a business suit of some sort. Jen stared up at him, gaping at the sight before her. _

"_What's wrong, Jen? Were you expecting your someone?" the man asked in a taunting voice._

_Something was obviously not right with this guy and inside, Jen's instincts were telling her to run as far away from this man as she could. She backed up a step and bravely asked, "Who are you?"_

_The man cocked his head in a perfect imitation of Michael and whispered, "You tell me."_

"_I-I-I don't know. I've never seen you before in my life," Jen stammered._

"_Haven't you?" the man asked, peering at her with his narrowed eyes. _

_Jen took another step back. "What's wrong, Jen? Do I make you nervous? I suppose you'd rather be in the company of your savage boyfriend Michael?" the man asked, teasingly._

_Jen's blood ran cold and she whispered, "You know Michael?"_

"_You could say he and I are old friends…somewhat. Speaking of which, I wonder where he is. It's been such a long time since we've seen each other," the man sneered._

_Jen continued to back away and she stammered, "What do you want from me? Are you a friend of Freddy's?"_

_The man began to laugh and answered, "You think me a friend of that hideous freak? No Jen, I have no ties with your former friend Mr. Krueger. In fact, I wouldn't worry about him anymore if I were you."_

_Jen was about to ask what he meant by that when the man continued, "Besides, it's not you I'm after."_

_Jen glanced at the stairway below her and then back at the man. "Michael…you want Michael, don't you?" she asked, barely breathing now._

_The man placed a hand on Jen's cheek and she shivered at his touch. He sighed and muttered, "Ah, how smart you are…very pretty too, now that I think about it. Michael's quite a lucky man to have gotten someone so resourceful."_

_Jen slapped his hand away and snapped, "DON'T TOUCH ME!"_

_The man held his hands up as if in surrender and snickered, "Oh yes. I forgot that you belong to Michael and won't let anyone else try to claim you."_

_Jen's blood ran cold when she saw on a small tattoo on the man's right wrist. It had the symbol of Thorn on it, just like Michael's. "T-t-that…y-you have…"_

_The man glanced at the Thorn tattoo on his wrist and said, "Oh, you noticed my tattoo? You like it?"_

_She felt her throat was clogged up in shock as she struggled to find something to say. The smirk widened on the man as he sneered, "Oh yes. You're Michael has this tattoo if I'm correct. Yes, it's the only thing that bastard and I have in common."_

_Jen's cheeks darkened in anger and she stated bravely, "Stay away from Michael…and me."_

_The man lowered his hands and raised his eyebrows in amusement. "I'm afraid I can't do that," he said, shaking his head. _

_He moved forward as Jen moved backward and as quite as lighting, the man shoved Jen down the stairs. Jen screamed as she plummeted down the stairs, feeling the pain engulf her as her body hit the stairs._

Jen awoke with a shriek just as the alarm clock rang out. She sat up and glanced around the room. The sun was just beginning to set outside and the room was dark from lack of light. That dream had chilled her to the bone and that man…something had not been right about him. For whatever unknown reason, he wanted Michael's head. Speaking of Michael, he still hadn't returned from Downtown Haddonfield or wherever he was, which Jen had mixed emotions on. She felt an ache of longing inside her. If Michael had been hear to witness her having a nightmare, he would've sat at her side and comforted her in his own way.

It was just now that Jen noticed just how loudly the alarm clock was ringing in her ears. Groaning, she reached over to turn it off. No wonder Michael hated that clock so much. Glancing at the clock again, Jen was stunned when she noticed what time it was.

"OH FUCK!" Jen cursed as she leaped out of bed. She had three minutes to get ready before Matt and the others showed up!

Quickly, she flipped on the lamp and went into the bathroom to apply some make up. She pulled her hair out of its messy ponytail and brushed through it. She winced as she felt a tug at her hair from brushing roughly, but pushed the thought aside. Then, throwing the brush aside, she slipped on her leather jacket and grabbed her purse. She was about to open the door when she noticed she wasn't wearing any shoes.

"SHIT," Jen cursed again and snatched her black boots. She forced them onto her feet and then leaped out the door. Racing down the stairs as fast as she could, she forgot that Danny and the others were just about to sit down for their evening meal. When Jen past them, Danny asked in concern, "Something wrong, Jen?"

Jen turned back to him and explained in embarrassment, "I overslept a little on my nap."

"Oh, that happens. Hope you have a fun time," Martha said, as Marie waved at Jen.

Jen nodded at Martha and threw Marie a smile before she pushed open the front door. She made it to the sidewalk just in time as Matt's red Ford truck pulled up. Danielle opened the back door for Jen and as she climbed in, Matt called, "Hey Jen B! How're you doing?"

Jen closed the car door and said as she put her seat belt on, "Pretty good. You guys?"

Amanda turned and commented, "You look like you just got out of bed there, Jen."

Jen smiled and fibbed, "I've just been working a lot today, that's all. It really wears you down sometimes."

"Man, at this right you'll have a fortune from all the work you do," Amanda laughed.

"And there's nothing wrong with having a large fortune, right Jen?" Matt asked, glancing over at her.

Jen grinned and said, "Nope. Nothing wrong with that at all."

"So, how was the mall yesterday? Danielle said you two went there," Matt said, as he turned onto another road.

"It was pretty good. Was kind of crowded though," Jen said, glancing out her window.

"It's always crowded on Saturdays," Matt agreed.

"And you would know from experience?" Amanda teased, flipping her long red hair.

Matt turned to her in mock anger and said, "I go to the mall like everyone else. I'm not an alien from Mars."

"Don't have such a cow, retard. I was just joking," said Amanda, glancing into the rearview mirror to examine her face.

"Hey! Don't look in there. I need that in order to drive," Matt protested.

Jen and Danielle giggled in the backseat as Jen whispered, "Old married couple, huh?"

"Totally," Danielle agreed.

"Are you two calling us an 'old married couple' again?" Amanda asked, turning to look at them.

Jen started laughing and Amanda gave them a mock frown. "How dare you?" Amanda teased.

"How dare I? I beg your pardon," Jen said, pretending to be insulted.

"Ladies, please no catfights in the car," Matt said, grinning from ear to ear.

Both Jen and Amanda said, "Meow" at the same time to make fun of the word, "catfight." Glancing at each other, they started to laugh at what they'd done. Matt and Danielle began to laugh as well as Amanda gasped, "That was so random!"

"I guess great minds do think alike," Jen added, leaning her head against the car seat to laugh some more.

The four continued laughing but shrieked when Matt nearly ran over a STOP sign as he turned onto another road. After taking deep breaths of surprise and relief, they began to laugh hysterically at the idea of running over a STOP sign. "Nice one, Matt!" Amanda giggled as Matt continued driving and the Longhorn Steakhouse came into view.

Matt rolled his eyes and said, "Hey, it could happen to anyone."

"Oh yeah, like that time you nearly ran over the old lady across the street?" Amanda teased.

"That was just the one time. It was accident and I hadn't even seen her coming," Matt protested, as he turned into the parking lot.

"Yeah right. An old lady just shows up out of nowhere," Amanda said, sarcastically.

"Come on, Amanda. Knock it off," Matt said, as he pulled into a parking space.

"Children, please get along or I'll have to send you to your rooms," Jen laughed as she smiled at Danielle.

"I promise to listen to you, Mother," Matt joked as he pulled the car keys out and opened the door.

He walked around to the other side of the car as Danielle and Amanda climbed out and he opened the back door to let Jen out before she opened it herself. Jen stared at him in surprise and said, "Aw, thanks Matt."

She climbed out of the car and Matt shut the door behind her. Amanda put her hands on her hips and said in a mock angry voice, "Excuse me? And what am I, chopped liver?"

Matt smirked at Amanda and retorted jokingly, "Jen wasn't being mean to me."

"Oh stop, you two," Jen laughed as they made their way into the restaurant.

As Amanda and Matt continued to bicker playfully, Jen turned to Danielle and said, "So, you ever been here before?"

"Nope. It's the first time I've ever been here. To be honest, my family and I don't go out to dinner very much," explained Danielle.

"Oh. Are they one of those 'home cooked meals' kind of people?" Jen asked, opening the door for her friends.

"Yeah, pretty much. My family actually makes food for a living," Danielle said, smiling to herself.

Jen's eyebrows widened in surprise and she said, "Really? That's cool, maybe I'll have to stop by there sometime."

Danielle looked away from Jen just a little and said, "Yeah…we'll have to do that sometime."

Jen noticed a hint of sadness in Danielle's voice as she said this and Jen asked, "Are you OK?"

Danielle broke into a smile and said, "Oh yeah. I'm fine, just tired. Then, I'm sure you understand that."

Jen nodded and said, "I know the feeling." Yet, inside Jen commented on that look of sadness in her face. She'd seemed a little lost, as if she were remembering something. Then, Jen shook her head, annoyed at herself. It wasn't any of her business; maybe she'd been imagining that sad look.

Matt walked to the hostess standing in the front and said "Four please. Non smoking."

The hostess made a couple notes and muttered, "Four…non-smoking. OK, follow me, please."

The four friends followed the hostess past the tables filled with people and they finally settled at a booth. Jen climbed in first and Amanda across from her. Matt turned to Jen and said, "You mind if I sit next to you?"

"Oh no, not at all," Jen said, patting the empty seat beside her. At that moment, she was grateful Michael wasn't around. If he saw that Matt was sitting with her, he'd probably go ballistic.

Amanda turned to Danielle and said, "Well girl, looks like its you and me. Matt's abandoned me." She made fake sobbing noises as Danielle sat next to her.

Matt grinned as he sat next to Jen and said, "Oh get over it, Amanda."

Each of them took their menus to flip through them. Amanda talked about getting a chicken sandwich, but Matt asked, "What's wrong with a steak? It's a steakhouse for Christ sake and you're getting a chicken sandwich?"

"I don't eat beef, moron. You know that," Amanda snapped.

"Gee, excuse me for living," Matt said, sarcastically. Turning to Jen, he asked, "So, what are you getting, Jen B?"

Jen glanced through the menu and said, "Let's see…I think that Renegade steak sounds really appetizing."

"That's the spirit, Jen!" Matt said, patting her shoulder. Turning to Danielle, he asked, "So, what about you?"

"I think I'll try those pork chops they've got. They look pretty good," said Danielle.

"Oh come on. Are Jen and I the only ones who enjoy getting a steak at a steakhouse?" Matt asked.

Jen giggled as Amanda said, "Not everyone likes eating beef, you carnivore."

"Still, you guys don't know what you're missing," Matt said. Turning to Jen again, he said, "Well Jen, looks like you and I are the only ones brave enough to eat a steak."

Jen shrugged and said, "Oh well, that's their choice and their entitled to it."

Amanda lifted her hands in the air and semi-bowed to Jen. "Thank you, Jen! It's nice to know someone doesn't care if I don't eat beef."

Smiling, Jen said, "Well you know me. Always the peace maker."

Just then, a waitress by the name of Sonya came up and chattered, "Hello, I'm Sonya. Have you ever been to Longhorn or is this your first time?"

"First," Matt said.

"Oh, well welcome and we're glad you tried it. We have soup specials today, which include Pepper jack tomato, and our main salad of today is Caesar. Can I start you out with something to drink?"

"Are you guys ready? Do we know what we want?" asked Matt.

Jen raised her hand and Amanda said, "Fine with me. I know what I want," as Danielle nodded in agreement.

Matt nudged Jen and said, "You want to start us off?"

"OK," Jen said. She looked straight at the waitress and said, "I'll have the 8 ounce Renegade steak, medium well done. For the sides, I'll have French fries and instead of a soup or salad, may I have Cinnamon Apples instead?"

"Yes, you may," Sonya replied, writing down what Jen had ordered.

"Finally, to drink I'd like a Diet Coke, please," Jen finished.

"OK and if I may I say so Miss, you are one of the most polite people I've ever waited on," said Sonya, smiling at her.

Jen blushed and muttered, "Thank you."

"Damn girl," said Amanda, shaking her head with a smile.

After that, Amanda ordered her chicken sandwich with a Caesar salad, green beans and a Iced Tea, Danielle decided on the Pork Chops with Cinnamon Apples, a regular salad and a Raspberry Iced Tea and Matt went on ordering a 14 ounce New York Strip Steak, French Fries, a Caesar salad and a Coke. When the waitress Sonya went away, Amanda turned to Matt and asked sarcastically, "Damn Matt, eat much?"

"Hey, I came to get a steak, I might as well enjoy it," Matt countered.

"You men and your eating habits," Amanda muttered.

Just then, Amanda got a hold of the Sunday afternoon paper that had been lying under the table. Shrugging, she began to read the article on the front page.

"My god, guys. Do you see what this paper says?" Amanda asked; her eyes widened in shock.

"How can I see it when you're holding it so goddamn close to your nose?" asked Matt.

"They said a family called the Weavers died last night," said Amanda.

"What's your point?" asked Matt.

"Yeah, well. This wasn't an ordinary death you're thinking about. This was a murder," said Amanda.

Jen stiffened in her seat, but inched her head a little closer to listen.

"Yeah, apparently the Weavers were brutally murdered in their home last night. The husband had his stomach ripped open with his guts spilling out all over. The wife was found naked and had a pipe shoved down her throat. She was also found mutilated…her breasts were chopped off," explained Amanda.

Jen gasped out loud and put a hand to her mouth. At the same time, Danielle looked a little queasy. As for Matt, he shook his head in disgust and muttered, "Man…"

"Well, anyway. Their kids were found choked to death and had their eyes gorged out. Their dog was found with a single stab wound in his stomach. Yet, here's the creepier part, the Weavers lived across the street from the Smithson family that was murdered Friday night," Amanda finished.

"No way. Same street," said Matt, shock in his voice.

"Yeah man. Right next door to them. You know the other weird thing, both the Smithson's and the Weavers lived near that Michael Myers guy," Amanda said in a slightly creepy voice.

Jen's blood ran cold and she felt as if she were on the verge on throwing up. Oh god, another murder in the same street Michael used to live at. That poor family killed for unknown reasons and in the most gruesome way too.

"Jen B, are you OK?" She looked up to see Matt, Amanda and Danielle glancing at her with concerned looks on their faces.

"Yeah, you look a little green," said Amanda, her usual playful voice gone.

Jen felt her throat was clogged up, but managed to mutter, "I-I'm fine. It's just…horrible about what happened to that poor family."

"I just can't believe Michael Myers does something like this," Danielle whispered as she glanced at the table.

"He must've been real screwed up as a kid to have killed people. Man, he's done a lot of horrible murders in the past, but these two murders…I never would've taken Michael Myers to a sexual assaulter," Matt said, thoughtfully.

"What do mean 'you wouldn't take him for a sexual assaulter.' Of course he sexually assaults people. All killers do," Amanda said.

Jen had stopped breathing when they mentioned Michael and felt even more like throwing up. She knew for certain Michael hadn't done this; he'd been with her last night. Taking a deep breath, Jen whispered, "Can we not talk about this?"

When the others looked at her, Jen asked, "Please?"

Matt's gaze softened and he said, "Whatever you want, Jen B."

Jen smiled and said, "Thanks. Michael Myers is kind of…a hard topic for me to talk about."

"Are you scared or something?" asked Matt, putting his arm around her.

Jen was surprised by the physical contact, but half lied, "Well…yeah, sort of. He does have a very bad record."

Matt smiled at Jen and said, "Well, you have nothing to worry about. Michael Myers doesn't scare me."

Amanda raised her eyebrows and said, "Well, Matt. Here's a side of you I've never seen."

Matt blushed suddenly and unwrapped his arm from Jen. "Well, I'm not scared of him. I bet I could take him any day of the week!" he protested.

Amanda chuckled and teased, "That'll be the day."

Jen was extremely grateful when the waitress Sonya brought their food. All at once, everyone forgot about Michael Myers and began enjoying their dinners. Amanda teased Matt again on the size of his steak while he picked on the fact that she was eating a sandwich in a steakhouse. Meanwhile, Jen and Danielle chatted to each other about school and the upcoming assignments in Western Civilization I. Between bites of food, conversations sprung out among the four. Dinner ended rather quickly and Jen didn't think she could eat another bite of food when she was finished.

Matt paid for their dinner, despite Jen's protest to pay for her own meal. "Please Jen, I insist. I invited you all out, I pay," said Matt, taking out his credit card.

"You can pay for all my meals, Matt. I don't mind," said Amanda, with a laugh.

Matt raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't push your luck."

"Now, now. Don't make me send you to your rooms," Jen joked.

After Matt paid for the meal, the four headed back to Matt's truck and Matt asked Jen if she'd like to sit up front this time. Since Amanda and Danielle didn't seem bothered that he'd asked only her, Jen accepted. "So, where do you live so I can drop you off?" asked Matt.

Jen gritted her teeth nervously and stammered, "Actually, would you mind dropping me off at the pizza shop. I left my car there."

Matt shrugged and said, "Fine with me."

"I rest my case, Jen. You must have a large fortune from working so much," said Amanda.

Jen turned to smile at her and said, "It comes in handy."

"Yeah. I'm so not looking forward to Monday…so boring. I have English with that old hag and then a stupid Biology course after that," Amanda groaned.

"Sounds like it's boring. I've got Western Civilization and then Speech tomorrow," Jen said.

"Yeah, she's got Speech with me," Matt grinned.

"Don't forget she has Western Civilization I with me first. Not to mention English on Tuesdays and Thursdays," Danielle said, laughing.

"Lucky girl," muttered Matt.

"Yes, unfortunately you all have to share me," Jen joked.

Matt turned on the radio and Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone," came on. The girls began singing along to it and eventually, Matt joined in during the chorus.

"Since you've been gone, I can breathe for the first time. I'm so moving, yeah, yeah," they sang.

In no time, Matt parked beside Danny's Pizzeria and said, "This was fun, we'll all have to do this again sometime."

"Definitely. See you guys tomorrow," said Jen, waving them good-bye.

After they all said good-bye to Jen, she shut the door and walked into the pizza shop. Danny was just checking to make sure everything was off when she walked in. Seeing her, Danny smiled and said, "So, did you have fun tonight?"

"Yeah, it was great. Longhorn Steakhouse is really good. I'd recommend it to you," said Jen.

"I'll make sure to check it out in the future. You headed up for the night?" asked Danny.

"Yeah, I'm kind of tired. I have two classes tomorrow," said Jen.

She headed up the stairs and quietly opened the door to her room. When she shut the door and turned on the lights, disappointment filled her. Still there was no Michael. Jen was beginning to feel worried, it wasn't like him to gone from her for so long.

Sighing, she began to take her clothes off and headed into the shower. She made quick work of scrubbing herself clean and then dried her body with the fluffy towel that Martha had washed earlier for her. Going to her cabinet, she took the bottle of Birth Control pills and slipped one into her mouth. Since she wanted to avoid being pregnant, she took one every night before she went to bed.

When she discarded her towel and went back to her bedroom, she noticed the bed was still absent of Michael. Feeling disappointed, she went to her drawer and put on a huge T-shirt that read, "Led Zeppelin," on it and then slipped on a clean pair of underwear. Making her way back to the bed, Jen crawled under the covers and switched off the lamp on her nightstand. Darkness engulfed the room and she snuggled in the empty bed as she closed her eyes to fall asleep. She began counting sheep in her head so sleep would find her soon.

She had just finished counting to sixty-three when she felt a cold hand touch the top of her head. She let out a small shriek, but then that same hand covered her mouth. She turned her head up to find a dark figure with a white mask gazing down at her. Jen pushed the hand away from her mouth and frowned as she whispered angrily, "Where were you?"

Michael was sitting on her bedside, fully clothed and cocked his head to side. Jen balled her hands into fists and whispered, "You didn't come to see me before I left."

He raised his eyebrows beneath the mask and went to stroke Jen's cheek. She slapped his hand away and said, "No, Michael. You hurt my feelings."

Michael winced when she told him he'd hurt her feelings and Jen pretended not to notice. Still, she looked away from him again and said, "Just come to bed, you big jerk. I'm very tired, so we'll talk about this in morning."

She couldn't help but sneak at glance as Michael undressed and crawled in beside her. He took off his mask and laid it next to the lamp on the nightstand. She could feel his naked form against hers and when she turned to face him, Jen found Michael giving her a strange look. "What?" she asked in confusion.

Michael placed his hand on the large T-shirt she was wearing and then Jen understood. Usually, Jen went to bed naked like Michael did and that's why he was so confused. Jen frowned at him and snapped, "Well excuse me for not knowing if you were coming back tonight."

Guilt spread on Michael's face and Jen's heart slightly softened. She kissed Michael's cheek and said, "Let's just go to sleep, Michael. We'll talk in the morning."

She was turned on her side so that her back was facing him, but later turned toward him when he nuzzled the back of head and neck lovingly.


	10. Things To Look Forward To

**Devotion to a Murderer**

Notes and Disclaimer: I do not own Michael Myers or any of the other Halloween characters…but Jen and other characters are mine. Now it is time for Chapter 9…enjoy it and love it! **So sorry for the long wait…I've had a lot things going on lately. Hopefully, it will not take me this long to update again. **

**Chapter 9: Things To Look Forward To…**

**Haddonfield, Illinois**

**October 24, 2005**

Jen was brushing the sweat off of her forehead as she slapped the button to turn off the alarm. She was very sweaty from wearing a t-shirt to bed last night and Michael's persistence to hold her close didn't help any. She'd cuddled with him as he'd hoped she would, but in some way it had felt awkward and they hadn't made love either. Jen was still hurt about Michael's long disappearance yesterday and had every intention of discussing it with him. She only hoped that Michael wouldn't be a coward and disappear like that again.

Sitting up on the bed, she glanced down at a very tired looking Michael. His black eyes trailed up to her face and despite her agitation with him, she gave him a quick smile. "You look exhausted," Jen commented, sitting Indian style on the bed.

Michael returned a half smile back at her and gently took her wrist to pull her towards him. Jen pulled her wrist away from him and said, "No, Michael. We need to talk...or rather, I'll do the talking and you just answer in that mysterious way of yours."

Michael cocked his head to the side and a small frown formed on his face. Jen raised her eyebrows and said, "I think you know what I want to talk about. Judging by that frown on your face, I bet you don't want to hear it, do you? Well, Michael, I'm going to talk about it anyway."

When Michael's frown increased, Jen sighed and said, "We have to discuss this, Michael. It's just not like you to disappear like that and without giving me a hint of where you're going. I was really worried about you and was very hurt when you didn't visit me before I left."

The black eyes slightly broke their stone cold demeanor and Jen asked, "Other than the fact that you were jealous about Matt, why were you so angry when I went to eat dinner with my friends? I really want to know."

Michael frowned in denial at this first statement and shook his head. Jen met his frown and insisted, "Don't try to hide it. I know you were jealous of Matt, but you really had nothing to worry about. Amanda and Danielle were there. Now, why else were you so pissed that I decided to hang out with my friends?"

Michael cocked his head slightly to meet her hazel eyes again and he took her hand in his. Jen looked at him questioningly and asked, "What is it? Tell me somehow why you were angry. Was it because of all my friends and not just Matt?"

Michael nodded once, but Jen could sense there was more. "What else? Were you mad at Matt for calling in the first place? Or, was it because…was it because you and I usually spend time together at night?" Jen asked, her eyes widening.

When Michael's eyes softened further, Jen knew she had her answer. She shook her head in exasperation and relief. "Oh, Michael," she whispered, rubbing his calloused hand with her fingers. "Michael, if you wanted to spend time with me last night, why didn't you tell me ahead of time?"

The black eyes became hard again and he gave her an angry glare. She sighed at the expression on his face, he'd made it clear. Damn it, he'd just assumed that she'd spend her time with him. Crossing her arms over her chest, Jen snapped, "Well Michael, you shouldn't just assume that all of my nights are yours. You never know, something else might happen or I actually might want to spend some time with _other people_."

Michael's black eyes were dangerously hard, but Jen was too annoyed to be afraid. Placing her hand on Michael's clenched fist, she said gently, "Next time, let me know ahead of time if you want to spend your evenings with me, OK? Like right now, do you want to spend your evening with me tonight?"

Michael frowned in that stubborn way of his, but gave her a single nod. Jen kissed his fist and said, "There, see. That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

He glared at her words and Jen continued in a reassuring voice, "I've just promised to spend my evening with you and I'll keep my promise. There's no need for you to be angry."

She leaned over and kissed him on the lips gently. Michael finally broke his anger and wrapped his strong arms around her to bring them closer together. Jen let out a gasp of surprise at this, but grinned beneath their kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers stroking the ends of his shoulder length brown hair. She giggled and stated, "My, my, Michael. You're quite clingy this morning, aren't you?"

He smiled that half smile she loved and allowed his hands to travel downward to her waist. His calloused fingers felt the fabric of the large t-shirt she was wearing and he slowly began to pull the shirt upward in order to remove it.

Jen chuckled at this, but pushed his hands away from underneath her shirt. She shook her head at him and said, "Michael, not right now."

Michael gave her an annoyed look by cocking a dark eyebrow, but Jen explained, "I have to get ready to go to school."

That answer appeared to displease him and he glared at her slightly. Jen kissed his cheek and said, "Michael, don't be grouchy. I promise you that tonight will be worth it after I'm done with work."

The glare faded, but he still frowned, giving her that same stubborn look. Jen kissed him gently on the lips and said, "I'll see you later tonight. Or, if you decide to pay me a quick visit before I start my job, that's always appreciated as well."

She kissed him on the lips again and Michael responded to her kiss by trying to place his tongue inside her mouth. His tongue touched her lips and she pulled away with a smirk and said, "I really have to get ready now, Michael. I love you, OK?"

Michael gave her a half smile and gave her a single nod as confirmation. He watched her get off the bed and go to her dresser to change into some clothes for her new day at college. Her naked body was so slender, perfect and her pale skin shined in from the early rays of the morning sun coming through the window. She was choosing a light yellow see-through shirt that required her to wear a white cami underneath and then some nice black jeans that showed off her ass nicely. He liked to watch her dress herself; then again, her undressing wasn't that bad either, if not better.

When she had finished, that was his cue to get dressed himself in the dirty mechanics uniform he wore and slip on the white mask. Somehow, he always felt safer wearing that mask, he felt less exposed. True, Jen was used to his real face and had even said she preferred looking at it rather than his mask, but some things just couldn't really be helped. He _needed_ that mask…especially for the rampage of Haddonfield victims he intended to take the lives of today.

Jen turned around to see him zip up the mechanics uniform he always wore, but as usual, she always felt nervous when she saw him pick up that large butcher knife. No matter how many times she'd seen him with it or the fact that Michael had never used that knife to physically harm her, there was always that instinctive worry she had that maybe one day he might slip. Despite this, it didn't change her feelings of the fact that she was in love with him.

Once Michael placed his white mask on, it was usually his signal to her that he was leaving. So, Jen went to his side and stood on her tiptoes. Michael knelt down and briefly pressed those rubber lips against her soft lips. Then, he pulled back, placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle stare through the eyeholes of his mask. Jen smiled at him and said, "See you later this evening."

He removed his hand from her shoulder and then, with the large butcher knife in one hand, Michael opened the window and prepared himself to descend down the connecting ladder that led the streets of Downtown Haddonfield.

Jen watched him go down and once his feet hit the ground, she closed the window, but not before blowing him one last kiss. With this settled, Jen grabbed her bag and headed down the stairs to where Danny, Martha and Marie were getting ready to have some breakfast of Special K cereal. Upon seeing her enter the kitchen, Marie smiled.

"Hey Jen!" the little girl cheered.

Jen smiled and made her way to sit down beside her. However, Jen couldn't help but notice a rather disturbed look on Danny's face as he glanced down at the newspaper he was reading; in fact, he looked disgusted. Cocking an eyebrow, Jen asked as she poured some Special K into her bowl, "What's the matter, Danny?"

He shook his head and answered, "I just don't understand this. This is the third family Michael Myers has killed this week."

Jen nearly dropped the Special K box onto the floor and asked in a breathless voice, "What? What happened?"

"It seems he's struck again, but this time it was the Johns family. Though it appears that Michael Myers now likes to play with fire," he muttered disgustedly.

"Fire?" Jen felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

Martha appeared to be as unnerved as Danny was about the murder and taking the paper from her husband, she said, "Here Jen. Why don't you read it?"

As Jen took the paper from her, Martha whispered so only Jen could hear, "I don't want Marie asking questions about it and getting scared."

Jen nodded and then proceeded to read the article. The newest victims of slaughter were a Mr. and Mrs. Jason and Stacy Johns with their two twin girls. Both the girls had been nine years old and in the third grade. The family had been attacked at about two AM and according to reports; were the victims of stabbing and gunshot wounds. Mr. Johns had been found on top of the kitchen table with three sharp butcher knives stabbed into his torso and stomach, along with two bullets lodged in his eyes.

Mrs. Johns had been found in the main bedroom with several stab wounds, an extension cord wrapped around her neck tightly with her wrists and ankles duct taped together. She had also been sexually assaulted in the vaginal area and from her backside, with about four gunshot wounds in her throat. The twin girls had been found in their bedrooms with two bullets each found in their foreheads. Neither of them had been sexually assaulted, although semen had been found on the floor. However, when police had arrived at the house after a concerned neighbor called, they arrived to find the garage and living room in flames.

Jen was beginning to feel ill, as she had when reading about the first two murders. Now guns and fire had been involved in this…these were both things Michael did not use whenever he killed someone. As for the rape aspect, he had never raped anyone as far as Jen knew; it just didn't seem like him at all. Michael hadn't done this, there was just no way. Even so, Michael had been with her last night and since she'd been with him during these last nearly two years, it was rare if he wasn't with her at night.

Closing the paper, Jen turned it face down so she couldn't see the partially flaming house on the front of the paper. Danny appeared to have gotten a hold of himself and stated, "It's horrible, isn't it?"

"Yes," Jen said, forcing herself to take a bite of Special K.

"The strangest aspect is, each of these murders has occurred on the same street…and on the street where his home used to be," Danny added.

This new information caused Jen's head to rise curiously and she asked, "Why do you think that is? Why would he…I mean, why on that street?"

"Maybe this is some new scheme of his; perhaps to make it a Halloween no one on his street will forget."

"Maybe…"

Martha seemed to have had enough of this and asked, "Please, Danny. Can we talk about something other than that troubled psychopath?"

"Of course, Sweetheart," Danny said, placing his hand lovingly on hers.

Jen then forced down a few more bites of Special K and was relieved when Marie began speaking of her upcoming day in school, yet her mind was still too preoccupied. The thought that someone was out there, committing such terrible crimes and knowing Michael, who was perhaps the worst known killer in Haddonfield wasn't doing them, terrified her. Still, she was completely relieved it wasn't Michael. If he had been doing these murders, Jen honestly didn't think she could stay with him anymore. Killing crooks or other lowlifes in Haddonfield such as prostitutes and junkies was tolerable despite how it was still wrong, but if he killed a family…a family with people who would be missed…Jen shook her head quickly, not wanting to think about that.

Glancing down at her watch, she noticed it was close to 7:40 PM. Oh damn, she needed to hurry if she was going to make her class. Quickly, Jen jumped off of her chair and said, "I've gotta head to class now. So, I'll see you guys at noon, OK."

"All right, Jen. We'll see you then," Danny said, with a friendly smile and a wink.

"See you, Jen," Marie and Martha said at same time, both waving to Jen. She smiled at them as well and then made a quick jog to the front of the store. She made her way out of the front doors and was on her way to class in a hurry.

When Jen arrived to HCC, she hurried on into the building, rushing at top speed. As she glanced at her watch and noticed the seconds quickly going by, she muttered, "Shit! Shit! Shit," as she hurried up the stairs. Jen accidentally knocked into a blond girl when she reached the top of the stairs and the girl snapped, "Hey, watch it!"

"Bitch," Jen muttered under her breath, as she continued to race toward her Western Civilization I class.

Glancing down to find that it was one minute till class time, she made a leap down the hallway to her right and then ran inside the classroom just in time to see Mr. White getting out his notes for the class and preparing to stand up at his podium. Most of the people sitting in class that were chatting loudly amongst themselves stopped to look her before going back to their conversations. Jen blushed and then found her seat in the back where Danielle was waiting.

As Jen slid into her seat next to Danielle, she whispered, "Hey, how are you doing?"

"Pretty good. I was wondering if you were even going to make it," Danielle whispered back, a smile on her face.

"I was running a bit behind this morning. Slept in kind of late," Jen half lied; thinking back to when she'd had her conversation with Michael and getting preoccupied with hearing about the newest murder on Michael's old street.

"I know how you feel. I kind of slept in this morning too," Danielle whispered back with a sheepish smile.

After Danielle and Jen shared a quiet laugh, Mr. White began to drone on about what they were going to learn about this morning. For the next hour and fifteen minutes, Mr. White bored the class with his lectures on the Greeks in the B.C. time period and actually read from the textbook almost word for word. Jen almost laughed at the sight of some of the students that had fallen asleep during class, but was actually fighting the urge to stay awake herself. Danielle actually falsely laid her head down and made a low snoring sound, which had Jen giggling with her hand covering her mouth. When Mr. White looked her direction, Jen had successfully managed to fake it as a cough.

Thankfully, the clock finally reached the time of 9:15 and both of the girls were more than relieved to get out of the classroom. Jen gathered her books and with Danielle beside her, they both walked out of the door. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Matt standing by one of the pillars in the hallway, seemingly waiting for someone. Smiling, she called, "Hey, Matt!"

Matt's head turned upon hearing this and seeing Jen, a smile lit up on his face and he waved to her and Danielle. The girls waved back at him and made their way toward him. Matt held up his hand for a high five and Jen slapped his hand in response, with Danielle doing the same thing. He grinned that famous grin of his and greeted, "Hey, ladies. I almost thought you weren't coming today when I didn't see you in the courtyard this morning, Jen B."

Jen shook her head at him and with a smile said, "You know me better than that. I was just running late."

"If you hadn't shown up just now, I was considering skipping Speech class just for fun," Matt responded with a sheepish grin.

"Don't do that! You know that's not right thing to do," Jen scolded.

Matt smirked at her frown as Danielle laughed and he sneered, "Hey, it's not the first time I've skipped class, you know."

"I know," Jen muttered, shaking her head at him again, as she shared a knowing smile with Danielle.

"Don't worry though. For you, Jen B, I will not skip Speech today. Besides, we have to partner up on reviewing the five minute speech we have to do three weeks from now and I'll not leave you on your own," Matt said, in a mock gallant voice.

"Oh, my hero," Jen teased.

"Well, I'd better head onto my Computer class. Mrs. Carney is killing me with all of her online projects," Danielle groaned.

Jen patted her on the shoulder and said, "Hang in there, Danielle. Don't worry. You'll get through it."

"Yeah…unlike me," Matt added, smiling that sheepish smile again.

Jen put her hands on her hips and asked, "So, just how many classes have you failed, Matt?"

"Three," he answered, truthfully.

Danielle's mouth dropped open and she asked in amazement, "Three? Seriously?"

"Yep. I'm not lying either," Matt answered, scratching the back of his head.

"You know something, Matthew Adams? We are going to get you into shape," Jen said, with a firm look.

"Yeah, I think some time at Jen B's army camp will do me some good," he joked, with a smirk.

Jen and Danielle laughed and then Danielle shifted her backpack on her back and said, "Well, see you guys tomorrow. See in you in English, Jen."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Jen said, giving Danielle a one arm hug.

"See you," Matt added, with a wave.

After Danielle had left, mixing with the crowd, Matt and Jen then walked side by side to class, which was on the other side of the building from where Jen's Western Civilization class was. They arrived with just a few minutes to go and quickly claimed their seats in the front row, which were side by side each other. Mr. Groff was sitting at his desk typing at his laptop, not noticing when the students were coming in. Jen sighed with relief and Matt just smiled at the look on her face. She turned to him and whispered in a protesting voice, "Hey! Don't you remember the last time I was late? He practically embarrassed me in front of the whole class."

"He does that with everyone," Matt said, shrugging slightly.

"Yeah well, he made it obvious that he was talking about me," Jen whispered back, glancing at the teacher quickly.

"Come on, you've got to admit that was kind of funny."

"No, it wasn't. I shouldn't have walked in when someone was doing a quick speech for him."

"That speech was boring anyway and besides, it was pretty darn hilarious seeing you try to sneak your way in." Matt was now chuckling to himself and Jen glared at him with annoyance.

"Yes, it was so funny it should've been on American's Fucking Funniest Home Video." The sarcasm was dripping from Jen's voice as she remembered that embarrassing moment and still cringed from it.

"Jen, you know I was just joking. If it makes you feel better, I'm sure people have done worse things than you did," Matt offered, smiling sincerely this time.

"True," Jen said in a thoughtful voice and deciding to let Matt off the hook now.

Just then, Mr. Groff greeted the class and called each person's name to see if they were in the classroom. Matt and Jen answered when their names were called and once roll call was complete, the professor then explained about how they were to begin their five-minute speeches starting on Wednesday. There would be five people going each day and the listing of when each person would do their speech was done alphabetically from Z to A. This meant that Jen and Matt were going to be the last two people going to do their speeches and they wouldn't be going for a while. In some way, this made Jen happy since it gave her time to prepare, but on the other hand, she'd have to sit there for the next three weeks till her turn came.

After this explanation, Mr. Groff told everyone to get into groups and discuss their speeches amongst themselves and he would come around to give them suggestions if they needed it. Immediately, students flocked to different groups and naturally, Jen and Matt partnered up together, staying at their seats. They gathered up their notes and Matt pretended to be seriously gazing at his papers.

"So, Ms. Jen B, what have you decided to do your speech on?" Matt asked, in a playful voice that was pretending to be serious.

Jen laughed and said, "You already know what I'm going to be speaking about."

"Of course, how could I have forgotten? You've decided to discuss prayer in public schools," Matt answered with a grin.

"And you think informing the public on how to properly bid on e-bay is going get you an A?" Jen teased again, cocking an eyebrow.

Matt shrugged and answered, "Hey, at least it'll be entertaining. How many people do you know are going to inform everyone about bidding on e-bay?"

"Not many."

"Exactly."

Pretending to go over their notes, Matt spoke quietly to Jen and asked, "Jen B, did you hear about that new murder that occurred last night?"

"Yeah, just this morning. Why?" Jen answered.

"Just wondering. I mean; it's so strange that it's happening now," Matt said, thoughtfully.

"What do you mean, 'it's happening now'?" Jen asked, curiously.

"I mean, I know Halloween's around the time this _stuff_ happens in Haddonfield, but…usually that only happens on Halloween night and not a whole week and a half before it," Matt answered.

Jen thought about that and nodded at his statement. "That is true. It's kind of unusual, these murders," she said, mostly to herself.

"My mom's been calling me since Saturday and wanting me to come back home and stay with her till the police get those murders sorted out," Matt said, shrugging as he casually doodled on his piece of notebook paper.

"She's worried about all the murders?" Jen asked, with concern in her voice.

"Yeah. She's worried that something's gonna happen to me while I'm here in Downtown Haddonfield, but I told her not to worry about it. I can take care of myself just fine." Turning to Jen with a smile, he added, "Besides, I kind of like having a place of my own."

"I don't blame you," Jen said, with a smile.

There was silence between them for a few seconds and then Matt started to speak, "Jen, I was wondering, if…"

Then, Mr. Groff came up to them to interrupt what Matt was saying to Jen and asked, "So, how are you two making out?"

"Fine," Jen answered.

"You both prepared for your speeches?"

"Well, I am. I won't speech for her," Matt answered, throwing a smile at Jen.

Jen smiled back and answered Mr. Groff's question with, "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Any questions you need to ask me? Anything I can help you with?"

"No, I'm fine," she answered, politely.

"Me too," Matt added, with a nod.

"Excellent," Mr. Groff said with approval and then went off to the other groups to check on them.

Jen turned back to Matt and asked, "So, what was it you were going to ask me?"

"Huh?" Matt asked, slightly off guard.

"The question. You were wondering about something and it seemed like you were going to ask me a question," she clarified.

"Oh. That…" Matt answered, looking down at his fingers.

Jen pushed some hair behind her ear and asked, "Well, what is it?"

Matt cleared his throat and then, turning to Jen, he answered, "Jen, I was wondering if you'd like to go have some dinner again with me tonight."

Hearing this, Jen was at first pleasantly surprised by this, but then, she remembered her promise to Michael. She wouldn't break off her night with him. Turning to Matt, she said in an apologetic voice, "Oh, I'm sorry, Matt. I can't tonight, I've got plans."

Matt nodded with a slightly disappointed smile that made Jen feel bad for some unknown reason and he said, "That's OK, Jen B. Maybe some other time."

Quickly, Jen came up with a solution to this and proposed, "Well, if you're available sometime in the afternoon tomorrow, you can stop by the Pizza shop where I work for lunch. I'll be working, but I know Danny and Martha would allow me a half an hour break, so I can eat with you."

Matt's face appeared to light up at this and with a smile, he said, "That sounds great, Jen B. I don't think I've ever gone inside the pizza shop where you work."

"Well, first time for everything, I suppose," she answered, smiling back at him.

"What time should I be there?" Matt asked, eagerly.

"Whenever you're finished with classes," Jen answered.

"I'll be there," he promised, with a wink.

Once this was established, Matt and Jen finally went back and forth between discussing random things and writing notes for their speeches. When class was dismissed, Jen and Matt walked out together and he said, "Man, this sucks. I've got Environmental Science to go and you can just go on to work like the lucky girl you are."

"Don't go skipping class now," Jen jokingly warned.

Matt falsely saluted and answered, "I'll go to class. Scout's honor."

"You'd better," Jen laughed.

"I will," Matt pouted.

Laughing again, Jen waved at him and called as she went down the stairs, "See you tomorrow. At the Pizza Shop."

"You got it. See you then," Matt called back, smiling that great smile at her.

Jen turned her attention back to where she going and made her way out of the main doors. Another day of school was done and other with. Now, it was time for work, which was actually a job she didn't mind, even though she was going to have to wash dishes today. Still, she would have her night with Michael to look forward to and knowing him, he always came up with things for them to do. In good spirits, Jen happily walked down the streets of Haddonfield, smiling and whistling the entire way back to Danny's Pizzeria.


	11. And So The Terror Continues

**Thank you for all the kind reviews and support I received in the last chapter. I know I haven't updated as much as I used to, but I have in no way shape or form forgotten this story. It's nice to see you all seem to be taking the whole Matt thing well…but don't worry, Michael is not forgotten. Again, thank you for all the great reviews; they are very appreciated.**

**Chapter 10: And So The Terror Continues…**

**Haddonfield, Illinois**

**October 24, 2005**

The screaming woman beneath Jacob Wynn cowered fearfully in the corner of her living room. Her clothes lay in the other half of the room, torn and ruined upstairs in the bedroom. Her naked body was shuddering convulsively, the blood from the gashes on her forearms trickled onto the green carpet, forever staining it and her blue-green eyes were wide with terror like one would only see in a horror movie. Only, this was certainly no horror movie and she wasn't acting. This was the real deal and the smirking, cruel man in front of her was wringing his hands carelessly with a large knife in the hands, obviously contemplating how he would take her life.

Jacob's cruel eyes raked across her broken, bleeding body, admiring his handy work thus far. It had been fairly simple getting into the house, her husband was currently out at whatever job he had and her two children were perhaps still in school, or at least getting ready to catch the school bus home. He'd spied her arriving home from picking up groceries at the store and discovering that no one else was present; he decided to have some fun this afternoon, as a start to the tons of fun that would come later tonight.

It was as she was heading back out to the car to retrieve the last of the grocery bags that he came upon her unsuspectingly. As she'd taken hold of the bag that contained a carton of milk along with some vegetables, he'd sprung up from behind her and covered her mouth with a rag covered with chloroform, while taking hold of her arm and keeping it firmly behind her back. The woman had let out a muffled scream through the rag as she'd dropped the bag of items, with the milk spilling onto the driveway. He had held her back firmly as she'd futilely struggled against him, slowly leading her towards her home before anyone came onto the street and took notice.

Eventually, she'd passed out from the chloroform rag and fell limp in his arms. Knowing he would only have a few minutes, five at most, Jacob quickly dragged her inside her garage, which had a door leading to the kitchen and laid her down on the floor temporarily with the groceries she'd brought in. He'd then stepped outside to take hold of the forgotten groceries on the driveway along with the destroyed carton of milk. Tossing the plastic carton in the recycling bin and then the groceries with the others she'd laid nearby, he'd put the garage door down and locked the door leading inside the house.

Now, that that had been taken care of, Jacob could now get to the matter at hand…he could have fun with his newest plaything. Scooping her into his arms as if one would their bride, he'd navigated his way to the staircase, which led upstairs. Jacob had glanced around his surroundings along the way though, raising his eyebrows with an impressed expression. He'd had to admit it; it'd been a pretty nice house with its forty-inch screen TV, outdoor swimming pool and giant rooms. However, they were nothing compared to the large master bedroom that he'd arrived in. It had truly been something that resembled a bridal suite with its four-poster canopy bed and the spacious bathroom nearby.

Of course, once he'd made his way into the bedroom, it was time for the fun to begin. He'd made quick work of her clothing, tearing it to shreds with a pair of scissors. Then, he'd hoisted her onto the bed on her back and then using took the thick strips of cloth from his coat pocket and tied her spread eagle on the large bed. The chloroform had been slowly starting to wear off by then and she'd begun stirring a little. Jacob had smirked at this and then, removed his own clothing on the floor before climbing onto the bed overtop of her.

Before the poor woman had even begun to register that she was tied up and where she was, Jacob had shoved his hard, large length deep inside of her. From then on, there had been nothing but pain, savage moans emerging from Jacob as his thrusts grew faster and harder and bloodcurdling screams from the woman he was savagely raping. The assault lasted for about an hour, from what Jacob remembered, but for his victim, it had seemed to last forever. Once he'd been finished and had satisfied his lust, Jacob had then decided to take his fun to another level and began to beat her viciously.

He'd smacked her face so hard that her nose bled upon the second strike and while pulling her long brownish-red hair, he'd kneed her in the stomach. At some point, he'd kneeled his head far too close to her face and she'd finally retaliated by biting his nose. Jacob had yelped as he'd beaten the side of her head to free his nose from her sharp teeth. Enraged that she had dared to fight back, Jacob had produced the knife from his coat and slashed her forearms, creating a bloody waterfall onto the white bed sheets. He'd also slashed her thighs open and then decided to punish her further by chopping off her hair.

Once the chunks of hair lay in a heaped mess about the bed, he'd finally released her restraints from the bed, but only to forcibly shove her down the stairs and get her cowered into the corner she was in now. So, at this moment, she shuddered in a frightened mess before him, nearly bald, bleed profusely and sobbing hysterically. Jacob still held the sharp butcher knife in his hands and leered down at his frightened victim.

"W-Why…why are you…d-doing this?" she wept in a horrified voice.

Jacob shook his head at her question and mockingly spoke to himself, "They always ask me the same questions. Why am I doing this? Why did I target them? Will I please spare them?"

Addressing the terrified woman now, he answered with a sneer, "Well, in answer to your question, Sweetheart; I am doing this…because I can…and because I want to. It's nothing against you personally; you just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Plain and simple."

As the woman's heaving sobs grew, Jacob casually twisted the hilt of the butcher knife in his hands and began talking to himself, ignoring his terrified victim. "Hmmm…now, what shall I do with her? How shall she die today? Do I set the house on fire? No…I did that with my last victims. Should I hang her from a chandelier? No, that's old, not to mention boring. What to do…what to do."

With Jacob pondering this as he drummed his fingers on the hilt of the knife absentmindedly, the horrified woman curled herself into a ball as tight as she could make and prayed to God that just perhaps the man would bored and take mercy on her. However, if she had truly known whom she was dealing with, she would've known that there would be no mercy from Jacob Wynn; there never was. Jacob appeared to be doing some serious thinking until an idea appeared to have popped into his head and the evil smirk filled his face again.

Taking his steps toward her, Jacob grabbed hold of the sobbing woman's bloody forearms and began to drag her toward the kitchen. The woman had lost every bit of strength from the serious injuries she had received and any chance of fighting him back was a lost cause. Eyeing what he was looking for, Jacob dragged the woman toward the kitchen table and forcibly shoved her entire body on top of it. Blood spattered onto the floor and once again, Jacob produced the strong ties that he'd tied her with earlier.

Once again, she was spread eagle to the kitchen table, though this time, her limbs felt as though they were being ripped right out of their sockets. As Jacob tied her up, he was gleefully chuckling to himself and said in a giddy voice, "Oh boy, your family's going to have quite a sight to view when they get home. I wonder what the children will think when they find dear Mommy like this."

The woman no longer had tears to shed since she had no strength to cry, but she still found her voice as she begged in a defeated tone, "Please…please don't hurt my children…or my husband. Don't…don't kill them…don't…kill…"

Jacob had finished tying her up and holding the butcher knife firmly in one hand, he studied his work of art with praise, and answered with a triumphant smile, "Don't worry, Sweetheart. I'm not going to kill your family…it's a bit too early for that and I need to save some of my strength for tonight. However, as for you, I can't promise the same. Like I told you earlier, this little escapade is nothing personal, I was just bored and you fit the bill."

Giving her another smirk, he took several strides past where the forgotten groceries lay and unlocked the garage door to step in the cold room. Glancing around at the wall, he found the object he was looking for and took hold of a large axe hanging there. Taking it, he quickly returned to the kitchen where the woman winced painfully with her eyes closed. Without opening her eyes, she sensed his presence and she cried, "You can stare at me with that smug look on your face, but you won't get away with this. The police will find you out and they'll just take care of you like they take care of all you psychopaths."

Jacob wanting to double over from the sudden burst of laughter that wanted to spill from him, but managed to control himself with that same smug smile. The woman now opened her eyes and noticed the axe in his powerful hands; the little courage she'd had for a brief moment was now completely forgotten. Jacob kept a firm grip on the large axe and answered in a mockingly haunting voice, "You're right, Sweetheart. Don't worry…Michael Myers will pay for what he's done to you, the police and I will definitely make sure of that."

Lifting the axe over his head to strike it over the woman's neck, his victim released one finally bloodcurdling scream. As much as Jacob would've relished in listening to more of her screams, he had to get going. So, without further delay, he swung the sharp axe down upon the woman's neck and with a sickening thud, the woman's head from the kitchen table and down onto the floor. Sighing contentedly, Jacob smiled and quoted, "Adieu, Adieu. Parting is such sweet sorrow."

Carelessly tossing the axe onto the ground near her severed head, he quietly went back upstairs to retrieve his clothes and slipped them on. As he walked out of the house quietly and quickly so no one on town would be able to spot him near the area, he took his cell phone out from his pocket and dialed the number. It rang a couple times before a soft female voice on the other end answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me. So, any new news on that Jen Blackwell?" Jacob asked, striding toward his silver BMW that was parked about a mile from the house.

"Not so far. Although apparently, she has plans to bring her friend, Matt over to the pizza shop where she works," the recipient on the other end answered.

Jacob raised his eyebrows and said, "Hmmm…so, Jen's got herself a normal boyfriend, huh? I wonder how Michael would feel about that."

"I don't suppose she would tell him and she and Matt are only friends, though I think he wants a little more than that."

"You look more into that and then get back to me. This is interesting, maybe even turn out better than I had originally planned. If anything brand new happens, let me know."

"Yes, sir."

"You're a good girl, as always."


	12. Part Of The Package

**Once again, I appreciate the reviews…they inspire me to write more and thanks for being patient with the updates. I hope you enjoy this update. I know it's been a while since I posted, but I have been very busy with things from college as well as family/friend/boyfriend life. Please understand that I do not go long periods of time of not posting on purpose, I am still trying to find the balance for all of these (not to mention for a long while, I had a very bad case of writer's block, but have now gotten some of the creativity back…not to mention seeing the Rob Zombie **_**Halloween 2**_**, inspired me to write again). **

**Also, as most of you may have noticed, I have recently disabled the anonymous reviews since I had recently received some rather disturbing ones two weeks ago. While I understand the excitement of this story and the subject being a horror genre about Michael Myers, I do not appreciate having joking threats made at me to update. I am going to enable the anonymous reviews again, but if I receive any more reviews like that, I am afraid I will not be allowing those kinds of reviews for my story.**

**Chapter 11: Part Of The Package**

**Haddonfield, Illinois**

**October 24, 2005**

Jen had just finished her day of work in Danny's Pizzeria and was getting ready for her evening with Michael. She had been washing dishes as well as cleaning up tables throughout her work hours. Still, it wasn't all that bad considering the good company while she worked. As soon as she had gotten back from school, she had informed Danny and Martha of her friend Matt coming over for lunch tomorrow. Both of them appeared more than pleased about this and Danny even commented, "It's about time we finally met one of your friends, Jen."

"Yes, he's a great guy and a good friend," she had added, with a smile.

Jen was slipping on a blue sweater on with a pair of sparkling blue earrings, a pair that Michael had gotten her for Valentine's Day this year. Smiling as she put them on, she gazed adoringly at the reflection of the silver pumpkin charm he had given her almost two years ago. She never took it off, not even when she took a shower and of the jewelry he'd gotten for her, this was the only one she wore everyday without fail and for Michael, it was a symbol to prove that she belonged to him.

After spraying herself with Clinque Happy perfume, Jen quickly ran her fingers through her long dark hair and then added a touch of purple lip-gloss. Smiling at herself in the mirror, she slipped on her black leather jacket and then headed down the stairs. Danny was finished cleaning off a table for the next customer when he glanced at Jen. Smiling, he said, "Very nice, Jen. Have fun with your friends tonight!"

"Yeah, thanks," she called back, as she used the back door through the kitchen to get out.

A part of Jen always felt guilty for lying about going to see friends every night; she hated lying, she always had. Yet somehow, the lies lately seemed to come easily to her and she had less of a hard time coming up with new ones. It was quite sad when one thought about it, but yet Jen had to roll with the punches considering the circumstances. Quickly waving good-bye to Martha and Marie, she slipped out the door and onto the alleyway where she knew Michael would be waiting.

Turning the corner toward where the dumpsters were, Jen found him waiting there expectantly. A smile filled her lips as she met his midnight black eyes. With a slight skip in her step, Jen went to him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Michael somehow always seemed surprised whenever she hugged him, but he nonetheless wrapped his arms around her, smelling her perfume that he liked, but not as much as her natural scent of Lavender.

Jen tightened her hug on him and said in a murmured voice that he would hear, "For some reason, it feels like it's been a while since we've been together, Michael. How strange even though I saw you this morning and see you everyday practically."

Michael couldn't have agreed more with that statement, though he really blamed that on the fact that for the last two days, Jen had spent more time with those friends of hers. It wasn't that he didn't want her to not have them, but Jen having friends meant less time from him during the nights and he disliked that. Jen pulled back and lifted the bottom of Michael's mask to kiss his lips. Normally, Michael wouldn't have been too open to that, but her lips against his felt soft and tasted sweet. She wrapped an arm around his neck to keep her balance and Jen covered his mouth with hers and slipped her tongue inside. His mouth always felt so warm to her and the roof of his mouth was smooth as she rubbed the tip of her tongue back and forth on it. Michael felt a loud intake of breath from his mouth and unknowingly stepped his body closer to hers so that their torsos were nearly touching.

It wasn't until he could hear the faint sound of laughing teenagers from a few feet away did he hastily pull away from Jen's kiss, nearly yank the bottom half of his mask over his mouth so that nothing of his face was showing and grabbed her wrist so they could step into the shadows. Jen was taken back by surprise when Michael ended their kiss so quickly and cried, "What? What's wrong?"

Michael pulled Jen close to him behind a corner near the alleyway and with an impatient look in his eyes and placed a finger on his masked lips. She turned her head from his face and listened closely as a teenage couple only two years younger than Jen walked by, laughing and holding hands. Their smiles filled their faces and lit their eyes with the glow of affection for one another. At seeing the happy teenage couple, Jen unexpectedly felt a pang of jealously watching them walk together. She bit her lip and thought about how lucky those two were to be able to share their affection for each other in public, to sit in a restaurant together not just once or twice a year, but as much as they wanted. Yet more than just that, to be able to walk down the street holding hands every single day and not just on Halloween. They could proudly flaunt their love while Jen was forced to withhold hers, in public at least.

Michael watched the way Jen stared at the teenage couple and didn't even have to question what she was thinking. He was not blind in knowing Jen's secret longings to be able to do simple things like walking down the busy street or sitting down in a nice restaurant across from him. To be able to laugh out loud with the sound of his voice entwining with hers, to cuddle on a park bench on a sunny afternoon in the spring or go to a movie anytime they felt like it. All those things she wanted to do with him year round rather than just in the season of Halloween. Those simple pleasures that ordinary couples took for granted meant everything to Jen and he knew had he not been what he was, they probably would do all those things in public every day and more.

Some guilt coursed through him, not because he was angry with himself for who he was, but because of how it was affecting her. If there was some way he could do his job and be a normal boyfriend for her, he knew he would do it, yet he as well as she knew that could never be. He could never be a normal man; it was far too late for that to become a possibility and in any case…the larger, more dominant side of his dark soul did not want to be normal. Besides, this was the path Jen had chosen; she knew what he was and she knew both the routine and the rules. Granted, he'd stopped killing the citizens who would be missed, but he was still a killer, so that had left him with drug dealers, petty thieves, prostitutes and others who nobody cared about. So basically, Jen would either have to continue accepting this as she had for the last two years, or…

Michael shook his head at that last thought, ignoring his instinctual urges. No, killing her wasn't an option. Though he was a murderer by nature and had absolutely no trouble killing any Haddonfield resident, Michael couldn't envision nor stand the thought of killing Jen, not after all they had been through. Though she didn't hide her displeasure at what he did, she was the only person who had come close to accepting him for what he was and the thought of losing her was inconceivable. To let her go, that would be torture for him. Selfishly and somewhat deservedly so, he wanted Jen to be with him always and his alone for the rest of both their lives. He knew if he let her go, Jen's life would probably improve dramatically, but the thought of her with another man and living a life that did not include him made Michael feel absolutely sick and enraged him as well. No, letting her go wasn't happening either; he wasn't going to lose her, not ever.

Michael's hand gently cupped Jen's chin and turned her face toward his to meet his black eyes. Jen managed a quick smile at him, forcing herself to forget about the happy couple she'd seen and asked, "So, where are we going, Michael? What plans do you have for us?"

He cocked his head slightly to the side, but smiled beneath his mask and pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear as he reached to claim one of her hands. In typical Michael fashion, he never directly answered her question with words, but rather waited until they got the designated spot and showed her the spot by pointing or with a gesture of his large hand. When he did gesture though, it was always somewhat funny in a strange way since Michael's hand was clenched on his butcher knife, so it was really the knife directing her where to look instead of him. So, they walked in the shadows of the alleyways, which were dark, save for the occasional light from an apartment that was stories up or an extremely dim street light up above that was close to dying.

The conversation Jen gave Michael was usually the same he would expect to hear about: how her day at college went, what she did during work, how her friends were and what funny things they did. However, the moment Jen mentioned that Matt was going to be arriving at the pizza shop for lunch and that she would no doubt take a half hour break to eat with him, Michael turned his head to stare down at her with his giant black eyes. Those eyes looked incredibly suspicious and agitated; he didn't like hearing this.

Jen looked up at him with innocent eyes and asked, "Michael, what's-"

At that moment she stopped herself and remembering that look from him last night, Jen frowned suddenly and in exasperation, she groaned, "Oh Michael, don't start that again. I am not in the mood to argue about this with you."

Michael fought himself to from squeezing her hand in a painful grip, since he knew that would hurt her and instead settled for keeping those eyes on her face as they continued walking through the alleyways of Haddonfield. Jen sighed at him and said, "Michael, do not be jealous about this. Matt's just coming to the pizza shop for some lunch and he's probably going to want to talk about some things going on at school. I am allowed to hang out with friends, Michael. I told you this morning; you can't expect me to just wait around for you during the day, I need to be with other people too."

He cocked an eyebrow beneath his mask and fought the urge to grunt in frustration. She didn't understand the reason behind his reaction to this; she thought it was all because he didn't want her to be around other people. That wasn't the reason behind his reaction at all, Michael did want her to be around other people if her heart desired. If anything, he welcomed the presence of the Italian family Jen worked for and the three friends Jen had made. They were able to look out for her when he could not and it made him feel secure knowing there were others who cared whether she lived or died. However, the suspicious and dangerous instinctive side of him that he used as being the murderer he was had reason to be worried about this Matt friend of hers. From what Michael had heard, their friendship seemed perfectly innocent as Jen had implied, but he had also seen what Matt looked like and how the boy had smiled at her, so that had given him a possible threat.

Jen turned toward his face with that same look of displeasure and asked him, "Michael, are you going to accept that Matt will be coming for lunch tomorrow, or are you going to be angry and still have an attitude about it?"

He gritted his teeth and fought to keep himself under control. This was one of the very rare occasions when he wanted to use his voice and simply tell her what was on his mind. Yet, Michael wouldn't use his voice, words were useless and meant nothing. After he released a quiet breath beneath the white mask, he gently squeezed Jen's hand to let her know his answer. Understanding the message behind the squeeze, she smiled up him and said, "There now. Stop worrying about it. It's so silly for you to act like that. He's just going to come over for lunch, we'll talk and that'll be it."

When Jen laid a kiss on Michael's large hand, the masked murderer relaxed a bit and decided to drop the matter with Jen since they were reaching their destination soon, but he still wasn't going to let it go. A part of him did believe her as she spoke to him while gazing in his eyes. After all, as far as he knew, Jen hadn't lied to him and had been fairly honest with him since they had become a couple. Though he had never implied and especially not spoken it, he valued her honesty with him second only to her loyalty as being his. He was still cautious about Matt though and just might need to check this lunch meeting tomorrow from outside in order to make certain nothing went amiss or to his disliking.

Jen was relieved when Michael appeared to be content with her answer and glanced back upward to see they were nearing the lower ends of downtown Haddonfield where the chain restaurants and pawn shops were located. Glancing up at Michael, she asked, "We haven't been in this area for a while. What are doing here?"

Michael inclined his head to her right upwards and of course, pointed towards the building with his butcher knife in hand. Jen turned and sure enough, there was the Haddonfield Theater, which was truthfully mostly a rundown, old fashioned movie theater that wasn't the popular one around the area due to the brand new movie cinema build in the nicer part of Haddonfield, but for Michael and Jen, it was the perfect theater to go to since hardly anyone went there anymore and to be honest, Jen was surprised it was still even open despite how every Monday night, the theater would feature a classic movie that would feature everything from _Breakfast At Tiffany's_, to _The Matrix_.

As she glanced at the small, rundown, yet still sturdy old movie theater, she glanced toward the sign above the door that would feature the name of the classic movie being shown tonight and then her eyes widened with pleasure at what the title was. Squeezing Michael's hand, she said, "Oh Michael, you know me too well."

Smiling a sort of smug smile of satisfaction beneath the white mask, Michael only confirmed his response with a quick squeeze of his own. As luck would have it, this theater was featuring the late Brandon Lee's final film, _The Crow_, which was Jen's favorite movie. Of all the movies Jen could've loved most, Michael was relieved this was the movie she liked. It was a movie he could tolerate watching with her more so than any of the others, plus nothing in this movie could set him off and remind him of his family, so Jen was in no danger.

Reaching into his pocket, Michael pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, which were enough for both a ticket and some snacks considering this place was quite cheap. Jen took the bill from him and removing her hand from his, she asked, "So I'll meet you a few minutes?"

Michael nodded and stalked quietly towards the back door of one of the theaters, while Jen took her way toward the front of the doors. She didn't feel at all worried about Michael sitting in the movie theater with her, heck this place was so deserted he might as well have entered the front door of the theater with her. However, they still had to be careful of any cops cruising by or if any of the employees freaking out. Since Michael had quite the reputation in this town, the sight of him could send anyone into a panic attack. Regardless, both of them felt safe to come here since as far as Jen knew, nobody really went to the movies on a Monday night.

After Jen had paid for her ticket and snacks from the bored teenage girl, she took hold of some of the floppy napkins from the table that was in desperate need to be washed. Covering her mouth so she could yawn, she absentmindedly turned her head towards the grimy glass doors at the front and nearly dropped her medium sized Coke on the floor as she gasped out loud.

Standing outside across the street and leaning up against the wall was a person with a black cloak covering his or hers entire body and smoking a cigarette. Remembering that strange-cloaked figure that she had seen while she'd been at the mall with Danielle on Saturday, Jen felt her heart beat faster and she also began to berate herself silently. Maybe it had been a stupid idea not to tell Michael about that figure after all. True, Michael would be more protective, but it was better to be overprotected than harmed or killed.

As she began to back a step to run toward the theater and find Michael, the cloaked figure outside dropped its cigarette and stomped it out. Then, it suddenly wrapped its arms around a young woman coming out of her apartment and held her tightly. The woman shrieked for a moment, but then the figure let her go and removed the cloak to reveal a laughing young man with a Rams football jersey on and black hair falling into his eyes. The young woman glared at him with a look of recognition and smacked him on the shoulder angrily as the laughing man hastily tried to apologize.

From inside the theater, Jen felt a huge sigh of relief fill her as she saw the exchange. Damn it, she had overreacted just now and had nearly caused a scene in the building since the teenage girl standing at the counter had asked her for the third time if she was all right and appeared to have her hand hovering toward the phone hanging on the wall. Jen finally met her eyes and answered in an embarrassed voice, "Sorry, just had a little Déjà vu."

Gathering up her snacks and placing the ticket stub in her pocket, Jen made her way toward the theater. She shivered slightly at what had occurred and whispered to herself, "Come on, Jen. Calm down, girl. Get it together."

As she'd thought, there was no one inside the theater, perfectly empty when she arrived. She took a seat in the middle of the theater, knowing that Michael was hiding somewhere behind the giant screen, waiting until the lights turned off and the movie started so he could take a seat next to her.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Once the movie had ended, Michael had taken Jen by a Burger King to let her get a burger since she'd eaten popcorn and some other junkie snacks there and needed one last bit of food before headed back. While eating the double cheeseburger, Jen had recalled the events at the theater while they'd watched _The Crow _together. Since they'd had the entire theater to themselves, as was custom, Michael had wrapped his arm around Jen and leaning close to her as much as the cursed seat had allowed. Despite the somber and sadness qualities from _The Crow_, both Jen and Michael felt anything but angry and vengeful as they watched Eric Draven come back from the dead to mercilessly murder all of the men responsible for his fiancée's and his death. At some points during the movie, particularly during the ending scene where Eric Draven finally sees the angel of his one love, Shelly coming towards him, Michael would nuzzle masked face against the side of Jen's head and she would in turn lean her head close against his.

Now, since Jen had finished her burger, she was walking hand and hand with Michael through Haddonfield, always keeping to the shadows. The loving moments between them in the theater had sent sparks through both of them and neither her nor Michael had to ask what was on both of their minds at that moment. It was almost as relief when they reached 'Danny's Pizzeria,' since they could now both satisfy their wants and desires for the other. As Jen kissed Michael from outside of the alleyway, she whispered in his ear, "I'll see you upstairs."

Michael nodded beneath the white mask and then disappeared behind the alleyway to climb up to Jen's bedroom, while Jen pulled out her key to open the door to go inside. The lights were on inside the pizza shop, which didn't surprise Jen since they'd always left them on, but as Jen locked the behind her from inside, she could hear the television set on in the kitchen and that surprised her. Usually Danny and Martha were upstairs getting ready for bed. Walking into the kitchen area where the ovens and cutting tables had been cleaned up for the night, Jen found them sitting down at the kitchen table watching the television with worried looks.

"Hey guys. Are you all right?" Jen asked, leaning into the doorway with a concerned expression.

Danny and Martha turned at the sound of Jen's voice and as Danny sighed with relief, he replied, "Thank goodness you're back. We were starting to get worried."

"Why would you be worried?" Jen cocked her head slightly and gave them a look of confusion.

"There's been another murder, Sweetheart. And their saying this one was very gruesome," Martha answered, looking somewhat green as she looked at the news report.

"_Another murder_? When?" Jen began to feel her stomach turn at this and felt her eyes look upward at the ceiling where no doubt Michael was waiting for her.

"Sometime this afternoon around two o'clock. Her name was Melissa Vasisko, a mother of two," Martha replied, nervously.

As Jen looked at the screen, she listened with horror at the live broadcast in front of the house that had police tape covering the whole property. A disturbed female reporter stood outside among the growing crowds in the neighborhood and spoke, "According to police reports this afternoon, 39 year-old Melissa Vasisko was brutally murdered this afternoon in her home here in Haddonfield. Apparently she was slashed across the forearms and thighs, was sexually assaulted and beheaded with the use of an axe. Pictures have been taken, but the images have been deemed too disturbing to post here on this broadcast and police believe this to be as one of the most disturbing killings in this string of murders that have occurred within the last four days. Most have reason to believe this is the work of none other than Haddonfield's own murderer, Michael Myers, but police are currently investigating and are questioning her husband, who sources say had an argument just before he left for work this morning. We will have more news to report as soon as new details emerge."

The urge to faint filled Jen as she leaned against the wall, feeling the popcorn and other junk food she'd eaten earlier rumble within her stomach. Oh god…this was just terrible. Who was doing this and why? She knew Michael wasn't the one creating this despite how some of the signs seemed to point to him. It was true that Michael was known for quite horrific murders, but this…this was just a completely over the top murder with more thought behind it and was just completely sinister. No, this was someone else, someone who had a mind perhaps even darker than Michael's.

Martha lifted her head towards Jen and asked worriedly, "Jen…Jen, sweetheart are you all right?"

Jen didn't answer at first, but then turned toward her and Danny and answered in a dazed voice, "Yes…I'm fine. I'm just going to head up to bed now. See you both in the morning."

Before either one of them could say anything, Jen went up the stairs toward her bedroom, needing to talk to Michael about what she had just seen and all thoughts of having sex were banished from her mind. Something wasn't right, someone was killing innocent people in the most horrific ways and the one person they all accused of murder was actually innocent for a change.


	13. Broken Promise

**Hi everyone! I'm sorry for my extremely long absence. A lot has happened to me since I last updated: I am on my last and final year of college and I recently became engaged! :D :D :D :D I have also been working on my own stories as well, which I am excited to try my hand at getting them published sometime in the near future. As for my Halloween stories, I have gotten over my writer's block and I am excited to take this story places I had no idea where to take it a couple years ago. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the unwavering support my readers have given me for this story (no, I have not forgotten you) and now I am back ready to share it with you. Thanks again for sticking with this story and enjoy this new chapter!**

**Chapter 12: Broken Promise**

**Haddonfield, Illinois**

**October 25, 2005**

It was terribly difficult for Jen to fall asleep after telling Michael about the broadcast she had seen on the television just recently. Though there hadn't been any images released on the news, she could still envision the graphic descriptions in her mind. Neither Danny nor Martha had gone to check on Jen, which probably would've been for the best because they wouldn't have understood why she was so upset.

As Jen lay curled up in Michael's arms listening the beating of his heart and telling him what she'd seen, Michael was calmly listening to her speak and running his fingers through her hair gently. To him, this was somewhat troubling news considering there was someone out there either posing as him or it could be something completely new and unrelated to him. Personally, he didn't really give a damn about the victims who had been brutally and savagely killed; neither of them were Jen…or even better, none of them were himself. He also didn't care if he was being framed for killings he didn't do, it wasn't uncommon and it wasn't the first time anyone had blamed him for a murder that was not his own. Still, it bothered him knowing there was someone out there doing all this and who just might be a threat to Jen…or as much as he hated to admit it, possibly the Italian family as well. However, that latter thought was only because he knew how much they meant to Jen and how devastated she'd be if anything bad happened to them.

Once she had given him all of the details, Michael listened to her steadying breaths for a few minutes, letting her compose herself and giving her a chance to calm down. All the while, he continued to lay there on the bed with her, giving her comfort in his own way. Jen held onto Michael closely, cuddling next to him with her hands fisting the material of his mechanic's uniform. Eventually, her eyes were beginning to grow heavy and seeing this, Michael gently lifted Jen upwards in the circle of his arms. Before Jen could ask what he was doing, he began removing the clothes from her body.

She didn't really think anything of it at first, but when the cold chill began to hit her smooth skin and when Michael stood up to undress himself, Jen said, "Michael, I'm not in the mood tonight. Can we please have a rain check on this?"

Her question had caught Michael off guard. Sex was perhaps the furthest thing from his mind at the moment; although glancing at her in all her completely naked glory, the idea was quite tempting. Still, Jen wasn't in the mood and looked very tired from both the day's events and what she'd seen tonight, so he simply nodded in answer to her question. Jen smiled at him and crawling under the covers of her bed, whispered loud enough for him to hear, "Thanks Michael."

Once the mechanic's uniform had been discarded and the mask removed, Michael was beside her and under the covers next to her with his arms around her tired body. His regular breathing blew into her ear, fanning the top of her head. The steady rhythmic sound of Michael's breath eased Jen into a state of calm and eventually, the horrifying thoughts of that woman's murder were temporarily forgotten from her mind…at least until the next day.

That following morning, Michael was wandering the dark alleyways of Haddonfield as the sun rose higher behind one of the tall buildings. He'd hidden his butcher knife within one of the giant pockets of his uniform and was looking for any random thugs or perhaps a homeless person. Somehow in his wanderings this morning, there were none to be found so far. Then again, considering those were the kinds of individuals he'd been targeting for the past two years, it was a wonder if there were any left. How ironic that he might actually be saving this town without even trying. It was a truly ridiculous concept: Michael Myers rescuing the town of Haddonfield from all of its scum on the streets. It was enough to make him feel sick, not to mention downright outraged. He wanted Haddonfield to suffer from frightened screams, not breathe sighs of relief, especially around the time of year that belonged to him.

As he heard the happy voices of a young couple in one of the rundown apartments above his head, he felt the familiar stirrings of desire to brutally murder them buzzing in his head. It had been so long…he hadn't killed a teenager, an innocent or anyone who wasn't tainted by sin and evil for so long. Not since…no, he couldn't do it. He couldn't kill them; Jen would never forgive him. He had promised her he wouldn't do it and if he wanted to keep his relationship with Jen, he had to follow through with it.

However as he waited behind the alleyway watching the apartment, the thoughts of murdering the couple upstairs kept consuming his mind. Surely he could commit just one murder where the victims were normal individuals. Maybe just one senseless murder would be all it took to still the desire. Besides, with the string of murders occurring lately he could get away with it. Jen would just think it was the new killer, yet another crime he had not committed. Still, doing so meant he'd have to resort to methods other than his butcher knife. He'd have to get creative and use other weapons like sledgehammers, rope or a chainsaw. It was as he was contemplating the idea that Michael realized how much he had missed this. To being able to kill someone without a second thought and to even enjoy doing it. It thrilled him, satisfied him in more ways than one; a craving that his relationship with Jen could never fill no matter how many times they were intimate. A murderer was what he was and perhaps he'd gone soft over these past two years. Maybe it was finally time to have some fun…

Michael never got the chance to carry out his idea of murdering this couple. When he began to make his way toward the stairs in the back of the apartment complex, he heard the sound of a loud police car's siren wailing nearby. Opening the backdoor he'd entered, he swiftly glided back toward the alleyway he'd stood in moments ago and went behind an abandoned building that he had once used to stash some of his victims. As he'd reached the outside wall of the building, the police car with the wailing siren just pulled up to the apartment he'd been about to enter and two officers quickly stepped out of the vehicle and raced inside the backdoor he had just been in. Michael cocked his head in confusion; what were police doing in that building and why? Could it be that maybe the couple he'd been about to kill were going to be arrested for breaking the law? If so, he felt disappointed at the idea that maybe he'd mistakenly thought that they were innocent people. He could have been about to kill yet another menace to the streets of Haddonfield…wonderful.

As his breathing grew harsher out of his frustration for his lack of a murder victim, he watched as the two police officers emerged from the doorway and led out two frightened individuals, whom he assumed was the couple upstairs. However, as more people stepped out of the back door as well, Michael's breathing grew soft and once again, he found himself confused. Why were more people coming out of the apartment complex and why did they all look so frightened? It wasn't that he didn't enjoy seeing them in fear, but he did wonder just what it was that made them all so afraid. Was this maybe an arrest of many individuals selling drugs or a gang finally brought to justice? Still, a lot of these individuals didn't look like criminals, but ordinary, normal people. It was confirmed as such when he saw a police officer with the nametag of Officer Mackenzie trying to comfort a young woman who seemed on the verge of a major breakdown.

"Miss, please calm down. We have more officers showing up to check the inside of the building and we'll make certain that each of you folks gets to a safe place," Officer Mackenzie spoke in a soothing tone.

The young woman lifted her eyes up from her trembling hands to the officer's face and cried out, "It doesn't matter where we go he'll always find us. No matter where you try to hide, that monster always gets what and who he wants!"

"Well, he's not likely to get what he wants today; thanks to that anonymous tip we received. If Michael Myers does try to leave the building, he will be shot on sight."

Michael's black eyes became wide with surprise. WHAT? Did that officer just refer to him? How? What had he possibly done to give himself away or for anyone to have seen him? Surely he had been careful and looked around first before walking toward the back of the building, hadn't he? There was no way anyone could have seen him; he was just too good. Then again, maybe he'd been too caught up in the excitement of the potential bloodbath he wanted to create that he hadn't bothered to be careful. Perhaps a passerby had seen him or someone in the adjourning apartment buildings had looked out their window and spotted him. It was all entirely possible and it wouldn't be the first time he'd accidently been spotted by someone.

"Who made that call? Are you sure it wasn't a prank call being made by some kid?" a nearby man with giant glasses and scared older woman on his arm asked.

Officer Mackenzie, who was still standing by the distraught young woman turned to him and replied with a look of annoyance, "Now why would anyone make a damn prank call about Michael Myers after all the hell he's put us through recently?"

"Well it's not an entirely dumb idea. You know how kids love to make pranks about this crap!"

"Honestly sir, considering everything that has happened recently, I think even teenagers in this town are past pranks and jokes about that murderer. Besides, being who Michael Myers is and all, it shouldn't be completely surprising that he would try to commit a murder in broad daylight."

"Here's a question I have for you, officer," butted in another man who had an angry expression on his face. "If the police are so on top of everything, why the fuck haven't you caught Michael Myers yet? Isn't it kind of odd how Haddonfield has to go through at least twenty murders from this freak until you actually get his exact location and try to put him down?"

Officer Mackenzie's face went from annoyed to just downright furious. It was true that he was just as frustrated as the public was about the lack of progress when dealing with Michael Myers over the years, but for the inhabitants to Haddonfield imply that the police couldn't do their job right didn't help matters at all. Biting back a string of obscenities he wanted to shout at the man, the officer replied with the same damn line that had been used for many years, "Sir, we are doing the best we can. Please stay calm and let us do our job."

"It's sure taking you long enough though. If you're doing your job so fucking well, then why has Michael Myers still been alive all these years? Why hasn't he been put in the ground and stopped permanently? He's probably out there right now murdering some innocent person while you all sit on your goddamn ass and pray he doesn't come to your house."

"Sir, you are being completely out of line-"

The angry man seemed to grow even more furious and stepping in front of Officer Mackenzie, he shouted, "It's the damn truth though, isn't it? It's not just me who thinks that, it's everyone in this goddamn town! What happens if he kills another family tonight? What will you do then, huh? Will you still think you did all you could to save us? Exactly how goddamn long do we have to wait until he kills everyone in Haddonfield?"

"Sir, that is enough! Stand over there quietly and please control yourself. You are not helping the situation in anyway and quite frankly, you are pissing me off. Now shut up and go stand with the others while the police and I take care of this." To emphasize his authority, Officer Mackenzie shifted his stance to make sure the man saw his gun and that he was not afraid to use it in the event that this man may decide to take his anger a step further. The desired effect was met for the agitated man stepped back begrudgingly and stood with the other tenants of the building.

Michael processed everything with curious and cautious eyes. So someone had apparently seen him and then called the police. Damn it! He should have been more careful! This was what happened when he went for too long without taking an innocent's life. He had gotten sloppy because of the _easy_ kills he had been committing and what's more, they hadn't even been that enjoyable. He really regretted the promise he had made to Jen about not killing any more innocent lives. Not only was it messing up his technique, but it was also messing with his mind. He wanted to kill whomever and whatever walked his way; he was tired of killing criminals, drug addicts and homeless people. It was the high school teenagers, the well off adults and occasional suburban family that he wanted to see lying dead at his feet. The best kinds of kills were the ones who reminded him of Laurie, Jamie or whoever had been in his family…they were the only murders that had ever brought him any kind of joy.

Perhaps he needed to break his promise to Jen and go back to doing what he was best at; the only thing he was ever good at. He needed to find a teenager or anyone who reminded him of his family and senselessly kill them until their blood spilled onto the ground. As he thought of Jen, of the promise he would be breaking and of the lies he may have to make to her, he found to his astonishment that it did not torment him as much as he thought it did. If anything, he felt he should've pursued this option a long time ago…maybe he should've never agreed to that promise at all. It was true that he didn't want to lie to her and the very thought of hurting her or her walking in on him killing someone were the only things that made him feel any regret or disgust. It was exactly the reason why Jen would not find out about his breaking their agreement. She would never see nor would she ever know that he was going to kill innocent people again.

With this decided, Michael felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders and resolved to himself to wait to kill someone, anyone really later this afternoon once Haddonfield sort of calmed down again. It was too harried and too busy for him to kill anyone at the moment because of the arrival of the police, so the best solution was for him to go into the alleyways and wait it out until things calmed down. Stepping into another alleyway that was directly away from the action going down at the apartment complex, Michael disappeared behind a darkened building and began to wait patiently. The old Michael Myers was back and come Halloween night, the streets of Haddonfield would run red with the inhabitants' blood.

As Michael began to think up new ideas of how he would run his murderous rampage of that night, he did not notice that someone was watching him from above the rooftop. Jacob Wynn sat relaxed at the edge of the building's roof with a sick, psychotic smile on his face. That phone call he had made to the police about Michael being near the apartment building had caused the lovely chaotic effect like he knew it would. The people of Haddonfield would be scared out of their minds now that there had been a 'Michael Myers sighting' in broad daylight and it would just make things more difficult for Michael. The best part about what Jacob had done was that he had ruined one of Michael's chances to kill someone and had nearly exposed him to the public. He knew that Michael had to be going crazy with fury at not having had his desired kill.

Jacob wasn't too heartbroken about the police not discovering Michael though; after all, he still had till the day after Halloween night to cause serious damage to his masked rival. Everything was going according to plan; soon he'd have Michael at his disposal to kill and then the Curse of Thorn would be his. He would be the chosen one, the true and only chosen one to own the curse. Standing up, he glanced at his cell phone and began to walk to the other end of the building where a ladder was attached for him to climb down. He would let Michael alone for right now, he had better fish to fry at the moment.

Miles away at HCC (Haddonfield Community College), Jen was randomly looking out the window in her English class, ignoring Mr. Warlock's endless talk about _Hamlet_, their latest reading assignment. Who the hell cared about discussing whether Hamlet was sane or crazy when there was a killer on the loose murdering innocent people? The thing that bothered her most was the way those poor innocents had been killed. It was so violent and gruesome, not to mention just downright sick. Who could possibly be so cruel as to inflict that much pain or torture on someone? Granted, Michael was guilty of murdering others and she was certain that he had probably involved some torture in his earlier kills. Still, Michael had promised her those days of him murdering innocent people wouldn't happen anymore and had compromised to merely dispatching of scum. She would've preferred that he didn't kill people at all, but she took what she could get. It was much better than the slaughter he had once performed on others.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her arm and turned to see Danielle looking at her with concern. Danielle glanced up at Mr. Warlock and then looked back at Jen and whispered, "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jen lied quickly.

"Are you sure? You look really freaked out."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do. You look like you're about to jump out of your seat and run for the door."

Jen was about to protest again, but settled for being honest. What was the point in lying about her nervousness over what had happened recently in Haddonfield? "Well, how could I not be with all the awful things happening around here lately?"

Danielle looked sympathetic and whispered back, "I know just how you feel. My parents are all ready to buy our house a home security system. They actually didn't want me to leave for school today in fear that I wouldn't come back."

"I'm not surprised. To be honest, I'm amazed there hasn't been a curfew issued or something."

"I'm sure your parents are probably freaking out about that like mine are."

Jen bit her lip and almost drew blood, fighting to not physically recoil from the ache it brought her whenever she thought of her parents. No matter how many times she went on without thinking about them or despite the fact that it had been almost four years ago since Freddy had murdered her family, it was still a fresh and deep wound in her heart that would never go away. There were so many things that could never do with her family and so many moments or life experiences that would never be shared with them. It hurt her so much and the pain was still so raw. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she began to berate herself for allowing thoughts about her family to attack her at a time when there were already plenty of other scary things to worry about. Besides, she couldn't fall apart in class and not in front of her friend.

Mustering up the patience to speak, she finally responded, "Yeah, they're freaking out a lot too. Everyday this week so far they've been talking about how the police aren't doing everything they can to keep people in this town safe. I hope some form of action takes place soon."

"With the rate things are going, I think the police would be wise to do so. There's no telling when Michael Myers will show up."

Once again, it bothered Jen to hear someone talk crap about Michael when he wasn't the one going around doing the killings. Still, she had to remember that even if she said something about how Michael was innocent, not only would no one believe her but it would also bombard her with questions and extreme suspicion from others that would wonder why she was trying to defend Michael at all. No, she had to stay quiet and play along with the public's opinion that Michael Myers had been murdering a lot of people lately and that everyone should beware of him. Sighing, she replied, "Yeah, I know. You never know when he could show up or harm people."

"I don't know about you, but he scares the crap out of me."

"He scares me too. He really is the stuff of everyone's nightmares."

"Excuse me, Ms. Blackwell and Ms. Lewis. Is there anything special you would like to share with us," Mr. Warlock's voice boomed loudly.

Jen and Danielle looked up to find Mr. Warlock standing in front of their desk with his arms crossing and frowning with his copy of _Hamlet_ dangling from his right hand. All of the classmates in the room were watching them with interested eyes, curious as to what would go down. Jen's face began to turn red immediately and Danielle's cheeks were right pink as she averted her gaze. Jen really didn't know what to say and hammered her brain for ideas.

"Well?" Mr. Warlock gave both of them a hard stare, which made Jen flinch a little.

Surprisingly, Danielle was the one to speak up and said nervously, "I'm sorry for our whispering, Mr. Warlock. I was behind on my notes for one of my classes that I take with Jen and she was just trying to help me catch up."

As Jen felt immediate guilt for Danielle pinning the blame on herself, Mr. Warlock raised his eyebrows and said, "While I admire your willingness to help one another, remember that you are in a class that is currently in session. You are not in study hall and you are most certainly not in high school anymore. If you come to my class, come in preparing to learn. If I find either of you talking during my class again, I won't hesitate to separate the both of you or throw you out of my class."

Jen bowed her head in embarrassment and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Warlock. It won't happen again."

"I apologize, Mr. Warlock," Danielle added in, looking equally embarrassed.

Mr. Warlock seemed satisfied with this and stepped away from their desks and started, "Now, as I was saying…"

For the rest of the class period, Jen and Danielle didn't say anything else to each other, but unlike Danielle who seemed to be glancing down at her journal writing notes down, Jen couldn't concentrate on the class. She was still too preoccupied with thoughts of what was happening in Haddonfield and the mysterious new killer who was stalking and killing people. This was becoming a huge problem and something sinister had definitely made its way into town. Whomever this new killer was, he/she needed to be stopped and soon. Otherwise no one would ever feel safe in Haddonfield again, if that were even possible considering all that had happened here.

When the class ended, Jen and Danielle walked into the hallway together and she said to Danielle, "I'm sorry that you took the blame for what happened in class."

Danielle smiled and said, "Don't worry about it, Jen. If I hadn't said anything, we'd probably be more humiliated than we are now."

"Maybe so, but you didn't have to blame it all on you."

"I don't mind. It was the best I could come up with and besides, we're still here, aren't we?"

"You're right, Danielle. I guess I just have a thing about other people taking the blame for me." Jen glanced down at the ground quickly after saying that and knew that what she'd just said wasn't a lie at all. She didn't like it when others took the fall for her. Danielle must have read what was on Jen's face for she spoke up again.

"Look, if you really feel that bad about it, you can make it up to me by buying me a coffee after class."

Jen managed to smile and replied, "Deal. One coffee coming your way tomorrow after Western Civilization I class."

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Danielle gave Jen a quick hug and said, "Well, time to go to Introduction to Music class and you onto work. It'll be a miracle if I survive having taken five classes this semester."

"You'll manage it, you're a good student. I'll see you tomorrow and good luck on your music test."

"Thanks. See you, Jen." Danielle waved to Jen, who waved back.

The moment Danielle disappeared from her view, Jen turned to walk down the stairs toward the front door and slipped on her sunglasses to guard against the bright sun. The entire time she walked back to Danny's Pizzeria, she tried to stay positive by thinking about the good things in her life so that she wouldn't think about the horrifying things happening in Haddonfield or the painful things from her past. Why shouldn't she be happy? She had a lot going for her in spite of everything. It was true that she had to tell lies about half the time everyday about her past and about her love life and it did bother her a lot. At least though she had friends that she could lie to after having been without them for so long. It didn't hurt that she had found three very decent friends too; all of whom she could tell genuinely liked her. She also had Danny and his family, who had been beyond kind to her and had obviously begun to treat her as a part of their family. Jen loved them and they loved her.

And then there was Michael; she had him in her life too. While the start of her relationship with him was definitely the most controversial and the most frustrating, his love had done wonders for her and at the end of the day, he made her happy. She did desperately wish that she could have a normal romance with him, but this was what she had chosen and they were making the best of it. Though she preferred eating in a restaurant with him as opposed to sneaking in other people's houses or eating outside at Haddonfield Park, they had still shared sweet moments and their evenings spent together had been anything but boring. Then again, when you ate your dinner across from a man who wore a blank white mask with fake hair, then you pretty much could guarantee that you'd be anything but bored.

Jen chuckled a little at her own private joke as she ran across the street toward where Danny's Pizzeria was. Walking through the front door, she smiled at and greeted Martha, who was manning the cash register at the moment and then headed upstairs to drop off her backpack and change into her uniform t-shirt. After tying her hair back in a ponytail and slipping the pumpkin charm necklace under her shirt, she went back downstairs and immediately took Martha's place up by the register and waited for customers to come in.

For about an hour, Jen's mind was completely focused on her work. Helping customers to a booth, taking their money or giving change back at the register and then wiping down the tables when customers had left. Though most people would be annoyed by those many tasks, Jen found it did not bother her at all. She was used to this now and found she could work like clockwork when she really needed to. However, that useful quality was about to fail her when she glanced briefly up at the television screen hanging on one of high walls while she was wiping down a table that needed to be cleaned. On the television, there was a grim looking reporter staring right into the screen.

"This morning about approximately 9:40 AM, police received an anonymous phone call about a Michael Myers sighting around downtown Haddonfield. Apparently according to the caller, Michael Myers was spotting around an apartment complex trying to break in. When police arrived and went inside the building, they did not find Michael Myers, but police have not ruled out the possibility that Myers wasn't actually there. We've also gotten word that Mayor Yates is expected to make a public announcement at some point this afternoon around 4 pm addressing the latest activity that has happened in Haddonfield. We will fill in you in on more details as we get them," the reporter spoke with a monotone voice that was obviously stressed from the endless reports about Michael Myers.

So much for the calm peace Jen had managed to achieve at work. Continuing to wipe down the table, she thought over what the reporter had said. There'd been a sighting of Michael? Yet had that actually been Michael or was it someone posing as him? It wouldn't have surprised Jen. After all, if someone was trying to frame Michael, why not take it a step further and dress like him as well? As she thought about someone trying to impersonate Michael physically, Jen felt a cold chill run down her spine. What if she ran into the killer and thought he was Michael? What she went into his arms and embraced him, only to have a knife plunged down her back? What if she told who she thought was Michael that she loved him and the killer would use that information to expose her relationship with Michael to the public first before killing her? Jen was so disturbed by all these possibilities that when she felt strange hands covering over her eyes so suddenly she started to scream.


End file.
